


No Strings Attached

by bubblemiyabi



Category: Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Angst, Friends With Benefits, M/M, One-Sided Attraction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-09
Updated: 2018-03-16
Packaged: 2019-01-15 04:08:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 22,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12313479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bubblemiyabi/pseuds/bubblemiyabi
Summary: Seongwu doesn't know why he brings up the idea in the first place -- he and Daniel are probably both crazy. How will their story ends?Also chapters for PanWink and JinSeob.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I had the luck to attend their fan meeting last weekend so I'm giving another try at OngNiel. Really want to write a good one for my OngNiel :(

Clothes are scattered on the bed and floor, and two bodies quietly lean together.  
The boy lying on the pillow tilts his head to check the time before patting the head that’s currently buried in his chest.

“Daniel, get up.”

Seems like getting up isn’t part of the other boy’s current plan, because he can only feel the sleeping boy tighten his arms around the body beneath him.

“Niel it’s 4PM already, Jaehwan and others will be home soon. Besides we never cuddle afterward, don’t we?”

The boy lying on top lets out a light chuckle.

“Hyung, I was simply resting because I didn’t finish my filming until this morning.”  
“Good to know.”

Daniel pushes himself off the bed and starts putting his clothes back on.

“I need to take a quick shower before my next schedule, hyung could you —”  
“Yeah I’ll clean up this time, there won’t be anything left behind.”  
“Cool, hyung you pay way more attention to details than me anyways.”

The only reason that I, Ong Seongwu, find myself in this kind of relationship with the nation’s No.1 pick, our center and my good friend Kang Daniel is because we each take what we need.

I currently don’t have a huge interest in finding love, mainly because I don’t have the time.  
It’s just that there’s nothing else we can do about this “natural desire.”

 

\-------------------------

 

Seongwu, who has just finished his recording, opens the door of one of YMC’s numerous storage rooms only to find Daniel sitting in there.

“Still dirty like usual, I don’t really like it here.”  
“And there’s nothing I can do because the meeting room we usually go to is occupied. The possibility of someone coming here won’t happen until an hour later. Hyung stop complaining and just take off your clothes, I have a dance session later.”

The irritated tone in Daniel’s voice brings out a smirk out of Seongwu.

“Aren’t we hungry and selfish today, but that’s okay.”

Seongwu loosens his belts and drops his pants, leaving several buttons of his shirt opened and wrapping his hands around Daniel’s shoulders. Daniel’s tongue dances around Seongwu’s nipples and his hands gently stroke the side of Seongwu’s waist.

“Mm…”  
“You’re quite sensitive here.”  
“Maybe, and you seem to like it.”

Daniel lifts up his head to look at Seongwu.

“I do.”

With that, he softly bites that pink and slightly swollen nipple.

“Ouch!…”  
“Oh sorry. I’ll lick you more so it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

It doesn’t take long for the scene to turn into Seongwu standing with his back against a table and Daniel playing Seongwu’s cock with his mouth.

“Wait… Niel you, you stop it…”  
“Why? You must be feeling good right? When you did it for me I loved it every single time.”  
“Ah…!”

Not used to Daniel being gentle with soft tease here and there, Seongwu reaches out his hand to grab onto Daniel’s hair.

“Hyung stop grabbing my hair!!”  
“That is…enough… hurry up… just get this over with.”

If that’s what Seongwu so desperately wants, Daniel is more than willing to stop wasting his energy on trying to please the older boy. After all, this relationship is purely for mutual benefit. Daniel starts pulling off his underwear and jeans as well.

“Apparently hyung you are hungry and selfish today too.”  
“Shut up.”

Seongwu turns around and lays his upper body on the table, allowing Daniel to push up his hips.

“I’m gonna go in now okay?”

Yeah, we don’t need the whole “lovey dovey” when we have sex.  
Besides, Daniel is in love with someone else.

“Ah… ah…”  
“Hyung you need to keep your voice down.”

If I didn’t run into Daniel that humid summer afternoon with heavy rain pouring outside, we probably won’t be like this today.

 

\----------------------------------

 

In reality, Daniel is in love with Jihoon.

The beloved wink boy has stolen Daniel’s attention right at the beginning of their Produce 101 days, but Jihoon doesn’t see Daniel as anyone more than a teammate and a hyung he respects a lot.

Seongwu found Daniel lying on the floor of their dance practice room looking exhausted. He walked over, sat down and patted Daniel’s head.

“You alright? How long have you been dancing?”  
“Don’t know…”

With a blank expression, Daniel aimlessly wiped his face with the towel Seongwu handed to him.

“…I just heard, about Jihoon and Kuanlin.”

Seongwu wasn’t sure if he’s the only one who noticed Daniel’s feeling, but he knew for sure that Daniel didn’t say anything and Jihoon knew nothing about it.

The person lying on the floor didn’t respond, because he actually saw Jihoon and Kuanlin kissing by accident before anyone else. 

“Whatever…”  
“Hm?”  
“…I knew it all along that I’m only a hyung to him, so yeah…”

That was when the lightning struck outside.

“Well… since we live together, would you like me to help you?”

The lightning and thunder outside must be the reason for their brains to stop functioning properly, Seongwu thought to himself. For himself to suggest such thing, and for Daniel to swiftly push him back onto the floor and hovering over him.

They had sex for the first time that day at the dance practice room. With a simple exchange of whisper and eye contact, they would secretly meet up at random places. Sometimes they help each other to release by hands or mouths, sometimes they would have a few rounds of hot and steamy sex — depends on how much time they have at a given location.

 

And they only have one rule:

 

No cuddling afterward.


	2. Chapter 2

After closing the storage room door behind him, Daniel is about to leave when he notices Seongwu still standing with his back against the wall — while not looking exactly comfortable.

“Are you able to move?”  
“I’ll be fine, don’t worry.”

Seongwu waves, signaling for Daniel to leave so he won’t be late for his dance session.

“But people will get suspicious if you just stand here, come!”

With that Daniel reaches out to grab onto Seongwu’s arm, wanting to pull the other away. Seongwu, on the other hand, can’t help but wince when he feels the pain coming from his butt and he immediately grips onto Daniel’s shoulder.

“Wait — damn it!”

Daniel doesn’t realize how painful Seongwu is feeling until now, so he slows down his pace and puts his arm around Seongwu’s waist.

“…Hyung, please don’t tell me you’re like this afterward every time.”  
“No… it’s only because you didn’t bother to control yourself even a tiny bit today.”  
“I’m sorry… are you going back to our dorm right away?”

Seongwu shakes his head. With his current condition, he can’t just call their manager hyung to pick him up and other members are bound to have a lot of questions for him when they see him walking around funny…

“Take me to the vocal lesson rooms, the practice rooms we use for solo.”

They are now outside the practice room Seongwu mentioned, Daniel immediately draws back his hand when he almost touches the doorknob. It’s Jihoon and Kuanlin sitting in front of the piano, with their back facing Daniel and Seongwu’s direction. Kuanlin has Jihoon’s face cupped in his hands, both of their eyes full of love before closing — and before their faces leaning toward each other.

It’s a very soft kiss, almost like a greeting or conversation.

Daniel unconsciously bits his lower lip and tears his gaze away. Seongwu has never seen their resident wink boy and their maknae kissing, and he is at a loss for words in front of this beautiful and harmonious sigh.

“…Hey, come over here!”

Calling Seongwu in a hushed tone, Daniel pulls Seongwu into another practice room nearby.

“Those two… the vocal rooms may have great soundproof wall but there’s a freaking window on the door!”

Daniel murmurs to himself, but Seongwu isn’t paying attention to that.

“…Kissing…” 

Whispering to himself, Seongwu stares at the wall as if he can see Jihoon and Kuanlin next door.

“We’ve never done it, have we?…” Seongwu turns to look at Daniel. “We’ve never kissed.”

And the air between them turns somewhat unusual than how it used to be.

“Of course we don’t kiss,” Daniel answers with his hands inside his jacket’s pockets. “We don’t need it, right?”  
“…Oh, yeah that’s right… We don’t need it.”

This relationship is supposed to be maintained with this so-called mutual understanding and agreement.

After Daniel shuts the door and leave, rain drops begin to fall inside the practice room. Tears are flowing from Seongwu’s eyes like water coming out of two broken faucets.

“Why…am I crying…?”

Every small step around the room brings Seongwu the painful sensation from his butt like something is tearing apart, like a constant reminder of what he and Daniel just did. The pain is too much for Seongwu to handle and he can only allow himself to slide onto the floor, with his back against the wall.

 

_Of course we don’t kiss._  
_We don’t need it, right?_

 

Seongwu covers his mouth with one hand, closing his eyes tightly.  
Yet he is still seeing Daniel who spoke those words to him.

 

_Yeah that’s right… We don’t need it._

 

And now he is seeing Jihoon and Kuanlin who just kissed in front of him.

 

_Because we…are not in love…_

 

Burying his face into his hands, tears are now flowing from Seongwu’s palms and wrists.

 

_And yet, you enter so deeply into my body…!_

_I’m such an idiot._

 

“…I want you Daniel… I want to kiss…”

 

Every time when two bodies intertwine, the feeling gets a little bit stronger.  
Just doesn’t expect that feeling to be “falling for someone.”


	3. Chapter 3

_I didn't know it can be this painful to fall for someone._

 

——————-

 

After numerous attempts to get the right stuff out of Seongwu, the producer lets out one last frustrated sigh.

“Seongwu, what the hell is wrong with you today?”  
“I’ m sor—”  
“Come out, we need to re-do your part next time.”

Before Seongwu has the chance to finish his one of numerous apologies, the producer waves motioning for him to get out of the recording booth. Feeling more disappointed than anyone else, Seongwu is in his own world deep in thought when someone taps on his shoulder — it’s Minhyun who just finished his recording before Seongwu.

“Are you alright?”

Seongwu can only smiles at his fellow 95line friend, who’s looking full of concern, in return because Minhyun doesn’t know anything. Besides, Seongwu doesn’t think this is something glorious and worthy for Minhyun to know anyways.

“Yeah, just can’t really concentrate that’s all.”

I cried at the practice room yesterday.  
I’ve never cried that much in my life.  
I only realized my feeling for Daniel when he already rejected me loud and clear.

 

_Of course we don’t kiss._  
_We don’t need it, right?_

 

I asked for it.

 

_“Since we live together, it would be more convenient for us to help each other’s needs.”_

 

Perhaps that was the biggest lie I've ever told myself.  
Maybe I already had feeling for him from the start when I initiated the offer.  
On our way to the studio earlier today, I even felt sadness when I saw his poster outside those stores.

 

——————-

 

Seongwu and Minhyun return to their dorm just in time when Daniel and Jihoon are leaving to record a variety show in which only two of them are casted to film. Judging from Daniel’s bright mood and the clothes and accessories Daniel’s wearing — all of his favorite —, Seongwu knows that Daniel is probably super happy about spending time with Jihoon alone without having other members around them. When the ones leaving and returning exchange greeting and goodbye at the entrance, Daniel quickly whispers to Seongwu’s ear.

“I left you note.”

Seongwu dryly nods in acknowledgment and the two part ways — Seongwu doesn’t know what to say otherwise, and Daniel doesn’t have time to think twice about Seongwu’s dry reaction. Upon returning to their shared room, Seongwu knows exactly where to find Daniel’s note and he knows exactly what would be written on it, telling Seongwu where to go for their next meeting.

 

But I’ve decided that I won’t do it with him anymore.  
The emptiness I’m getting from this “relationship” is too much to bear.

 

_No._

 

_Not just empty._

 

_It’s miserable and tragic._

 

Seongwu flips the note paper over, writes a few words on it and puts it under Daniel’s favorite Apeach pillow — a place he knows for sure Daniel will check to see the older boy’s response. 

Their new album’s recording is delayed because of his lack of concentration and performance, and the person making him unable to concentrate is off to enjoy the next few hours with someone else.


	4. Chapter 4

_Let’s not do this anymore._

They always tear off the small notes they exchange just to make sure there’s no evidence left behind for anyone else to find out about it. This time, however, Daniel is staring at these words written by Seongwu on that piece of paper in his hand longer than usual. 

He’s confused, because Seongwu was the one who initiated this whole thing so why the sudden change of mind? 

Did someone say something? Did someone from their management gives Seongwu trouble?

If that’s the case, Daniel is worried and upset that Seongwu doesn’t tell him anything — when they should be facing this together.

Another thing that Daniel is getting frustrated about is that he wants to talk to Seongwu alone about it. It's been days since he received the note, but the older boy always manage to keep Daniel from getting close or staying around for too long.

 

—————----

 

“Seongwu hyung~”

Seongwu turns around to see Kuanlin standing behind him, their giant maknae has been growing taller since their debut.

“Hey Kuanlin what’s up?”

Wanna One is here for an outdoor performance today. Kuanlin quickly scans around the dressing room before pulling Seongwu out of the dressing room. The hallway is packed with celebrities and staff members, a very puzzled looking Seongwu can only follow Kuanlin until the younger stops at a quieter corner.

“Kuanlin what’s this all about? We need to be ready to go anytime.”  
“Hyung relax, I just want to quickly talk to you.”

Seongwu lets out a sigh at that harmless smile on Kuanlin’s face, silently praying they won’t get their leader Jisung into trouble for not staying around.

“Okay, what’s so important that you need to drag me out of the dressing room?”

Kuanlin glances at their surrounding once again, lowering his voice.

“Hyung, you know you can trust me.”  
“Trust you for what?”  
“That you like Daniel hyung, am I right?”

For a moment Seongwu just stares at Kuanlin with his eyes widen. He tries very hard to say something to dispute Kuanlin’s words but nothing come out of his mouth — besides, he knows it’s useless to persuade Kuanlin to believe or behave otherwise when their maknae is so sure about something.

“…Are maknaes always this good?”

Kuanlin shrugs.

“It's obvious to me because I was in similar situation.”  
“Shut it, you guys are in totally different situation from me. Your Daniel hyung doesn’t feel anything for me.”  
“But hyung you were pretty obvious though. I mean, the way you look at Daniel hyung when he’s not looking, it's the same way how Daniel hyung looks at Jihoon hyung sometimes.”  
“I did not — Wait… so you knew about that?”

Seongwu stares at their maknae with shock. Kuanlin’s smile falters a little bit, but he still keeps a smile on his face.

“Not sure about Jihoon hyung but yeah, I knew. I only began to notice after Jihoon hyung and I told you guys about it though.”  
“…Are you okay with it?”  
“Well, so far there’s nothing for me to be angry. Jihoon hyung likes me a lot, Daniel hyung hasn’t been giving me trouble, and it’s not like I can just tell Daniel hyung to stay away from Jihoon hyung right?”

And Kuanlin suddenly remembers that talking about his own love life is not his reason for dragging out Seongwu for a private talk.

“Anyways, hyung, about Daniel hyung—”  
“Kuanlin ah, do me a favor. Don’t tell Daniel about it, don’t tell anyone. Not a single word.”  
“But —”

Smiling and shaking his hand, Seongwu grabs Kuanlin’s hand and squeezes it gently.

“It’s not important, and it’s not supposed to happen anyways.”

That marks the end of conversation and Seongwu begins to drag their giant maknae back toward the dressing room.  
Kuanlin doesn't really understand what Seongwu means by 'it's not supposed to happen anyways', because he doesn't think his members see his relationship with Jihoon as a bad thing. 

The event staff is calling for Wanna One to get ready for standby, and Daniel happens to be standing at the entrance when he sees Seongwu and Kuanlin return.

“Hyung where were you guys?”  
“Oh we just went to the restroom.”

Seongwu quickly answers Daniel before moving quicker to their makeup noona to get his makeup fixed. 

Daniel just can’t help raising an eyebrow.

There is a restroom on the opposite side that’s closer to their dressing room, and why would two guys (and Kuanlin is taken) return from restroom holding hands?


	5. Chapter 5

Today most of Wanna One is going with their schedule individually and in small groups -- with the exception of Daniel who is actually having a day off. He is too tired to make any plans so he rather sleeps as much as possible. When he exits the room and follows the sound of water running in the kitchen, he walks in seeing Seongwu there finishing up the dishes Minhyun and Jaehwan didn’t have time to wash.

“Hyung, do you have day off too?”  
“Oh you’re up! No I’m leaving in about an hour. You should sleep more, your schedule is probably the craziest.”

After putting away the last mug, Seongwu is drying his hands with a towel when Daniel’s arms wrap around his waist from behind.

“Hyung why are you avoiding me these days?”  
“I’m not —”

Seongwu gasps at the hand sliding under his oversized sweater.  
Feeling the slight shiver of Seongwu’s body under his touch, Daniel lowers his head to brush the side of Seongwu’s neck with his lips while keeping one arm firmly around Seongwu’s waist.

“Daniel… don’t… I’m tired today and I really have to go soon.”

The fact that Seongwu is pushing him away and walking past him is only making Daniel more upset — as if the past days have not been frustrated enough for him not having the opportunity to talk to Seongwu. 

And now Seongwu is saying no to him for the first time.

_Seongwu never rejects him._  
_Seongwu has never said no or made fun of anything he does._  
_Seongwu is someone who does everything with him._

He drags Seongwu to the living room and pushes him down onto the sofa.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Daniel remembers how Seongwu always look so calm before and after their sex session — like it's a joke, or the last thing in the world he cares about — but why is that pair of eyes looking a bit sad today?

“Didn’t I tell you already? I’m not going to have sex with you anymore.”  
“Why all of a sudden? You brought up the plan yourself, did someone say something to you?”  
“Nothing… I just started to think that this is not a good idea, after all you do like Jih —- HEY!”

Daniel pulls off Seongwu’s sweater at lighting speed, making Seongwu’s hair messy in the process.

“Get off me Kang Daniel! I told you I’m not doing this anymore!!”  
“Don’t you mention Jihoon’s name!!”

Daniel doesn’t really understand it either, but he really doesn’t want to hear Seongwu talking about his one-sided attraction to Jihoon.  
Why? Everything was just fine the way before, wasn’t it?

“…Daniel…ah!”

Seongwu understands very well that Daniel knows every detail about his body’s limit, and he also suffers from not having Daniel with him. When Daniel teases his body, when his breathing gets heavier and when he uncontrollably moans under Daniel’s touch, Seongwu feels overwhelmed by sea of sadness. Daniel makes his body weak, draining all of his energy and he’s unable to fight back.

Daniel stops dead in his track when he looks up. The older boy lying beneath him has his face turned to the side, he’s biting on his bottom lip and shutting his eyes tightly like he’s experiencing something painful.

“…Hyung? Seongwu hyung?”

Seongwu opens his eyes when he feels Daniel touching his face, and all of a sudden his vision gets blurry. 

“I… oh gosh…”

Seongwu doesn’t think that he’s going to cry. He already cried so much that day at the practice room to the point he thought he probably didn’t have any left — apparently he still has plenty.

Daniel’s eyes widen at the sight, and all of his unknown frustration is replaced with regret. He reaches out to brush away Seongwu’s flowing tears that don’t seem to stop.

“Hyung, please… I’m —”  
“DON’T FUCKING TELL ME THAT YOU TWO ARE DOING WHAT I THINK YOU TWO ARE FUCKING DOING!!!!!!!!!”

Both Seongwu and Daniel are too preoccupied to pay attention to the door and their surrounding, until a furious Jisung storms toward their direction and drags a dumbstruck Daniel off the sofa — apparently Jisung is very strong when he’s angry. 

Seongwu is still processing what’s happening when Daehwi pulls him up into a hug, and Jaehwan drapes his jacket on top of Seongwu’s exposed lower body.

“Seongwu hyung you alright? Are you hurt anywhere? Oh hyung please don't cry >.<”  
“Hyung it’s okay, just fix your jeans I have you covered.”

Sungwoon picks up Seongwu’s sweater from the floor and drops it over Seongwu’s head, motioning Seongwu to fix his clothes.

“Daehwi ah, go back to your room.”  
“But Sungwoon hyung -- ”

Daehwi protests, but only to earn another stronger and meaningful look from Sungwoon.

“Daehwi, please.”

Backing down a little, Daehwi turns to Jaehwan who returns a kind of look not too different from Sungwoon’s. Daehwi quietly and quickly exits the living room to return to his shared room with Sungwoon and Jinyoung (He also makes sure to leave his door slightly open to eavesdrop). Meanwhile, Sungwoon and Jaehwan turn their attention to their leader — who is still grabbing Daniel’s collar and mad like hell.


	6. Chapter 6

“This is not the Daniel I know, what the hell is wrong with you????”  
“Shhh hyung calms down. Let go of him for now, you’re not gonna get him to talk if you just keep yelling at him…”

Sungwoon pats on Jisung’s shoulder trying to calm down their leader. Daniel, on the other hand, still keeps his head down and remains silent.

“Hyung… is this the first time? Did it happen before?”

Seongwu has his eyes fixed on Daniel and their hyungs until he hears Jaehwan talking to him. He turns around and his eyes are met with Jaehwan who looks worried and upset. Before he can figure out what to say to Jaehwan, Jisung and Sungwoon’s voice catches his attention again.

“Ya, Kang Daniel, what do you have to say for yourself? Why did you do it?”  
“Daniel ah listen, Jisung hyung is mad not because you two are teammates or guys, but Seongwu obviously doesn’t want —”

 

_Jisung hyung, Sungwoon hyung, Jaehwannie, and probably Daehwi too…_   
_They all think Daniel was…_

 

“Hyung, it’s my fault, not Daniel’s.”

The last thing Jisung and Sungwoon expect to see right now is Seongwu rushing to them and defend Daniel.

“Seongwu ah, what are you talking about?”  
“…I —” 

Just when he’s about the speak, he feels someone gripping onto his arm and he doesn’t have to look to find out who it is.

“Seongwoo hyung…”

He can hear in Daniel’s voice that the younger is worried, but he needs to tell the truth and clear up the misunderstanding. It’s the last thing he can do.

Taking a deep breath, he looks at Jisung and Sungwoon in the eyes.

“…Daniel and I have been a uh… kind of like friends with benefit in the past few months. I came up with the idea and we just went with it… We would meet up at places and… It’s completely my fault, I’m very sorry.”

None of them is able to hide their shock at the news: Jisung and Sungwoon standing right there in front of Seongwu and Daniel, Jaehwan standing slightly away from them, and Daehwi in his room covering his mouth.

“...And where are those places?”  
“…Dorm…practice room… something like that.”  
“Why did you cry if you came up with the idea? I’ve never seen you cry like that.”  
“I… I changed my mind but didn’t talk to Daniel about it. It’s a miscommunication on my part.”

Tearing his gaze away from Seongwu, Jisung looks back at Daniel. 

“Is it true? Did Seongwu suggest this whole thing, you just agreed and went with it?”

Jisung’s tone has softened but turned icy at the same time. Daniel wants to say something but he can’t find the right words for it. He hesitantly nods, because there’s nothing they can do to make the situation better other than telling the truth.

Jisung tighten his lips, thinking he definitely needs to do a health checkup after this because he feels like his blood pressure has just skyrocketed to a new level.

“If that’s the case, I seriously hate both of you right now… What if you guys get caught?? By someone other than me?? By the management? By the media? By the fans?? Or someone random??? You two could lose your positions in this industry, I could lose my position AND I LIKE MY POSITION, okay? You could be dropped out of Wanna One! The crazy netizens and media can write horrible things about you and your family! And what about our team? What are they going to say about us and how will that affect our work?? The brands we represent?? The variety shows we make regular appearances?? Not to mention WE HAVE MEMBERS WHO ARE MINORS LIVING HERE! Did you two think about any of this, before you started screwing around and getting into each other’s pants???”

The living room is dead silent again by the time Jisung finishes off his ballistic rant, and the door opens again: Jihoon, Minhyun and Woojin have just returned from a meeting with their choreographer.

“We’re back… what’s going on?”

The moment they step into their dorm, all three of them feel like there’s a thick and suffocating air in the living room. Daehwi quickly pulls the super confused Jihoon and Woojin into his room, Jaehwan walks over and whispers to Minhyun about what just happened.

Jisung glances at the clock, it’s almost time for their manager to pick up Seongwu for a variety show recording. 

“You will switch room with Sungwoon starting from tonight. Now go, you should get ready before manager hyung arrives.”

Seongwu quietly nods before retreating to his room without looking any of his members in the eyes. Jisung turns to Sungwoon.

“Do you mind?”  
“Not at all, we’ll do as you say.”  
“Hyung, it’s my fault that I force Seongwu hyung today. Let Seongwu hyung keep the room, you should kick me out I can just sleep on the couch.”

Jisung looks back to the pleading Daniel, his gaze still hard.

“I don’t care which one of you get to keep the room. I just need to separate you two for a while AND have my full attention on you. Niel ah I’m really disappointed, to be honest. You are our center, when people look at you they think of us. You need to be better than this.”

 

————————

 

“Hyung… Sorry I didn’t ask for your permission first, but I told Jinyoung hyung about what happened today.”

Seongwu, who is putting his clothes into the closet originally used by Sungwoon, turns around to see Daehwi and Jinyoung sitting on Jinyoung’s lower bunk.

“… I just thought that he needs to know, since you’ll be rooming with us for a while.”

The fact that Daehwi is being so careful about this just makes Seongwu feel apologetic toward the youngsters more than ever. He gives Daehwi a smile before putting away his clothes and sits down on his new bed facing his new younger roommates.

 

_I should be setting example for them, instead…_

 

“That’s alright. It’s a shame that you guys have to find out in this fashion… You guys are free to have your opinion about me, I’m okay with that.”

Jinyoung’s eyebrows furrowed upon hearing Seongwu’s words.

“Hyung don’t say that. I mean… we don’t know exactly know why you did it in the first place, there must be a reason but it’s up to you whether you want to tell us or not…”  
“Thanks, and I do hope you guys can do the same for Daniel.”

Daehwi glances at Jinyoung before speaking up.

“But, he did force you when you didn’t want it though… I saw what happened.”  
“…Well, it probably wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t avoid him without any communication. I just didn’t expect him to react like that…”

 

—————

 

Jisung and Sungwoon are quietly talking among themselves when someone knocks on the door. It’s Kuanlin, wearing his pajamas and looking already a bit sleepy.

“Kuanlin why are you still up?”  
“I want to tell you guys something but I can’t do that when Daniel hyung is here so…”

Daniel is taking shower right now, and the fact that Kuanlin needs to tell them something without Daniel knowing is making Jisung and Sungwoon nervous again. 

“What is it?”

Kuanlin quickly closes the door behind him and moves to sit next to Sungwoon on his bed, facing Jisung. He then proceeds to tell Jisung and Sungwoon about his previous conversation with Seongwu.

“Seongwu hyung is in love with Daniel hyung, at first he just didn’t realize it. He didn’t initiate that whole ‘friends with benefit’ thing with Daniel hyung purely out of lust… Seongwu hyung made me promise not to tell anyone, but I just thought you guys should know…”

Jisung exchanges glance with Sungwoon, before reaching out to hold Kuanlin’s hand.

“Thanks for telling us, but they made a huge mistake by not being honest with us and putting us all at risk. I know you want to speak up for Seongwu, but both of them need to think about what’s important, what they did wrong, and what they should do to fix it. Don’t worry about it, okay? Those two are adults and they should learn from their mistakes.”

Kuanlin nods but there’s something else on his mind — when he hears from others about how angry Jisung was.

“Hyung one more thing… Honestly speaking, have you guys ever thought that… what Jihoon hyung and I have is not supposed to happen? Because that’s what Seongwu hyung said to me, he said his feeling for Daniel hyung isn’t supposed to happen… I know he’s most likely talking about his own situation but I’m just wondering…”

For a moment Jisung looks briefly at Kuanlin, who’s looking more serious (and probably nervous too)than ever. He smiles and squeezes the maknae’s shoulder.

“No, that has never crossed our minds. You guys just keep working hard and… take care of each other, okay? The road ahead is long and difficult, you need to look out for each other. Now go, you really need to sleep.”

After bidding a much more relaxed looking Kuanlin goodnight, Sungwoon keeps his eyes on the door Kuanlin has just exited.

“Hyung, I don’t remember if I’ve told you before. I actually didn’t have a good feeling about Kuanlin and Jihoon at first, but I’m impressed with both of them now.”  
“Yup, and if THOSE TWO can ever learn that.”


	7. Chapter 7

In a group of 11 boys with age gap of 10 years apart, sometimes it’s difficult to develop the same tight personal bonding with everyone. The older group naturally mingles more among themselves (and OngNiel are practically joined at the hips), and the younger ones naturally play among themselves more often. After moving into the same room with Daehwi and Jinyoung, Seongwu realized how little time outside of work did he spend with the youngsters before.

And he finds Daehwi and Jinyoung’s company really relaxing

If he were to stay in the big room, he most likely would have to endure all the serious talks and concerned glances from either Minhyun or Jaehwan. And there’s Jihoon, who is a constant reminder of why Seongwu had gotten himself into this mess in the first place.

But Daehwi and Jinyoung do none of that. After that conversation on the night Seongwu moves in, Daehwi and Jinyoung never bring up the subject again. They act like nothing happened, as if the three of them have been roommates since day one.

And for that, Seongwu is grateful.

 

—————————

 

Today Wanna One is flying again, going to Hong Kong for the third installment of 2017 MAMA after a brief return from Vietnam for the first one. While waiting in line at Incheon Airport, Jinyoung is slowly dozing off with his eyes half closed when he feels like someone is touching his hair.

“Your hair is a mess.”  
“Ah thanks hyung…”

With his own passport and boarding pass in one hand, Seongwu starts to fix Jinyoung’s hair and the younger closes his eyes enjoying the nice feeling of Seongwu’s hands running through his hair — which is making him even more sleepy.

“Omo… Jinyoung hyung’s dark circles…”  
“Daehwi ah, could you find that grey pouch in my backpack and dig out my concealer? Let’s make sure Jinyoung won’t look like a ghost in those airport photos.”  
“Yes hyung~~”

 

——————————-

 

Sungwoon can clearly see their center is feeling sick.

“Daniel did you take your meds this morning?”  
“Yeah…”

Sungwoon winces the moment Daniel talks, his voice seems to have worsen and he sounds more raspy than yesterday.

“Keep your face mask on, drink hot water and try to get some sleep on the plane.”

Daniel nods and shifts his gaze to Seongwu’s direction. Seems like Seongwu has just cracked a joke, because Daehwi is laughing and hooking his hand around Seongwu’s arm — something he’s so used to do almost like a habit. Seongwu then moves on to fix Jinyoung’s appearance, and the trio are still talking among themselves.

Pulling over his hoodie, Daniel looks away.

 

———————-

 

After they finish all those end-of-year music programs, Daniel finally collapses from Wanna One’s already packed schedule and all the extra work (individual commercials, variety shows appearances…etc) he had to do. Burning with fever, Daniel is placed on bed rest with doctor’s order until he recovers.

Seongwu gently knocks on his old room’s door before opening to see several members in there checking on Daniel.

“Hyung, how is he doing?”  
“He’s supposed to be sleeping but… I don’t think it’s a peaceful one.”

Sungwoon’s answer makes Seongwu frowns even more. He turns to look at Daniel, who has been turning his head with his eyebrows furrowed and breathing heavily in his sleep like he’s having a bad dream. With sincere worry on his face, Seongwu carefully sits down at the edge of Daniel’s bed and reaches out to hold Daniel’s hand.

He is slightly taken back when Daniel grabs his hand close to the younger boy’s chest. Daniel’s breathing gradually returns to normal and he finally seems to fall into deep sleep.

“…Oh my god, Seongwu hyung you should have come sooner!”

He turns look at Woojin, puzzled.

“What do you mean?’  
“Daniel hyung hasn’t been able to really sleep and he wouldn’t let any one of us hold his hand. Like, he would quickly pulls away as if he doesn’t want to be touched. But hyung you just did both!”

Seongwu’s mouth is slightly open and he doesn’t know how to react to Jihoon, who sounds so happy and so relieved at the same time. He turns to look at Daniel again, attempting to withdraw his hand but only to have Daniel tighten the grip.

Jisung quietly watches the scene before him, and he exchanges glance with Sungwoon — who’s thinking about the same thing.

“Seongwu ah…”  
“Yes?”  
“You can stay here tonight if you want, I think that’ll help Daniel too. Sungwoon and I will sleep somewhere else, just make yourself comfortable and hopefully Daniel will be better tomorrow”  
“…Thanks hyung.”

 

————————

 

Daniel slowly opens his eyes. He has completely lost track of time and doesn’t know how long he has slept. Before he turns around and look for a clock, his eyes fall on a familiar mop of black hair resting on his bed and the hand he’s holding to his chest. Still feeling weak, Daniel pushes himself up anyways and sees Seongwu apparently has fallen asleep while sitting on the floor.

 

_… How long has he been sleeping here?…_

 

Carefully, Daniel reaches out to shake Seongwu’s shoulder.

“Hyung… Seongwu hyung.”  
“……Oh, you’re awake.”  
“You’ll catch a cold if you sleep here…”  
“Look who’s talking… gosh I can’t feel my feet.”

Seongwu doesn’t remember how long has he been in this position, as he slowly stretches out his numb legs.

“…Hyung, why are you…? And where are Jisung hyung and Sungwoon hyung?”  
“They are squeezing in with others tonight and letting me stay here… Because you wouldn’t let go of my hand and you seem to sleep better this way.”

Daniel looks down with a small smile — he is indeed still holding Seongwu’s hand.

“I wasn’t feeling well until I started to have a dream… I don’t really remember but it has something to do with me holding my mom’s hand when I was little… So it was your hand.”  
“…Yah, are you saying I’m like your mom?”

Both let out a small laugh, it seems so long ago the last time they talk like this but Daniel’s smile soon falters into something serious.

“Hyung… I haven’t apologized to you about what happened.” Seongwu looks up to see Daniel’s smile is already gone. “I know sorry isn’t enough, but —”  
“...It’s okay, let’s just —”  
“No! It’s not okay! And it’s scary, I can’t believe that I almost…,” Daniel protests. His voice shaky and he has a hard time looking at Seongwu’s eyes — but he still did. “…Almost rape you.”

Seongwu quickly moves to sit at the edge of Daniel’s bed, trying to make the younger go back to bed because Daniel's voice is still raspy and he's coughing as he talks.

“Niel don’t say that,” says Seongwu, putting the back of his hand against Daniel’s forehead which is still too hot to be normal. “You’re still sick and you really need to rest.”  
“Hyung you know I don’t make excuses even when I’m sick... I know what I did and I know what to call it.”

Seongwu silently lets out a sigh — he doesn’t want to argue with Daniel because the most important thing on his mind right now is for Daniel to rest and get his health back. He wraps his arms around Daniel’s shoulders and the two remain in hugging position for a while. When he feels like Daniel has calmed down a bit more, Seongwu then gently push forward, using his body weight to bring Daniel back onto the bed — something he’s able to do now only because Daniel is physically weak.

“Just remember it’s not entirely your fault and we are putting this behind us. End of discussion. Now sleep.”  
“…Will you stay here? I mean, not on the same bed because I don’t want you to get sick too but…”

Daniel asks, sleepiness already sinking back in as Seongwu brushes his hair with one hand.

“Yeah, I’ll take Jisung hyung’s lower bunk.”

After tucking Daniel into bed, Seongwu goes to turn off the light. Daniel quickly falls back into deep sleep, feeling more content than ever to hear the ruffling and shuffling sound of Seongwu getting ready for bed.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter update due to story flow, and sorry for the late update too because I was just too busy!

Wanna One is participating in an outdoor festival in Busan again and the family members of Wanna One’s Busan line: Daniel, Woojin and Minhyun show up to cheer for the boys. By the time the families visit Wanna One’s dressing room, however, Daniel is nowhere in sight.

“I’m so sorry Mrs. Kang, I think Daniel’s solo interview is still ongoing. Hopefully you can still see him before we go on stage.”

Daniel’s mom just waves her hand and smiles at Jisung.

“It’s totally fine, don’t worry about it. I’m glad to see you guys.”

Mrs. Kang looks around the room, her face beams with joy as someone walks toward her smiling.

“Good to see you Mrs. Kang.”  
“Omo~~ how you doing Seongwu?”

The two share a warm embrace, and Mrs. Kang frowns at the slender body her hands are touching.

“Have you been eating well? Did you get skinner?”  
“I eat a lot Mrs. Kang!!!” Seongwu answers with a laugh. “Don’t worry, you’re just more used to Daniel’s body size that’s all.”

Studying Seogwu’s face with a small smile, Mrs. Kang pulls Seongwu away from the crowd and the two move to sit at a corner.

“Seongwu ah…”  
“Yes, ma’am?”  
“…Has Daniel been giving you trouble of any kind? Like are you guys fighting or…?”

Mrs. Kang’s question completely catches Seongwu off guard, and he prays the elder woman won’t notice anything strange as he tries to maintain his posture.

“May I ask what makes you think that?”  
“Well, lately I haven’t seen much interaction between you two whether it’s fancam or broadcast… Nothing in particular, I just thought something looks off. It’s alright if you don’t feel comfortable talking about it, but I just want you to know that I’m here… I know how Daniel can be like sometimes~”

Seongwu loves Daniel’s mom like his own, and he knows how much this woman cares about him too.  
He can only smile, because he just can’t bring himself to mention even a word about the mess he dragged Daniel into.

“It’s true that I haven’t been able to talk to him much lately but there’s no ill feeling at all. Daniel has the craziest schedule among us so I thought it’s best to give him some alone time to rest. I will find other ways to catch up with him, sorry for making you worried.”

Still not 100% convinced but it’s better than nothing. Mrs. Kang reaches over to hold Seongwu’s hand and give it a gentle squeeze.

“It’s okay, I just really hope you two can be friends for a long time. Daniel looks the happiest when he’s with you.”

 

————————

 

When Wanna One was waiting for their cue to go up stage, Daniel enthusiastically asked Seongwu about going to his favorite dobogi restaurant in Busan with Daniel’s family after the event.

“Just me joining your family? Did you ask manager hyung about this?”  
“Yeah yeah I already talked to him and he said okay~ Hyung you should come!! It’s the best dobogi place in Busan and my mom wants you there.”

Seongwu just couldn’t say no to Daniel, not with Daniel smiling so brightly in front of him.

Walking around the stage and waving at the crowd, the artists are bidding goodbye to their fans as the last song starts to play. Seongwu looks over to Daniel, who is doing some silly dances with Jihoon not too far away.

 

_“Daniel looks the happiest when he’s with you.”_

 

Seongwu shakes his head.

 

_…Why am I even thinking about that right now?… ___

__

__And then something in the audience catches his attention: several fans holding OngNiel Science slogans._ _

__Last time when they were in Busan, it was Daniel pointing out an OngNiel slogan for him and telling him to wave at the fancam. Seongwu is not sure if Daniel has seen these slogans today yet, but all the good memories of “OngNiel Science” brings an automatic smile to his face. The fans grow more excited when they notice Seongwu recognizing the slogan and waving at them._ _

__All of a sudden, Seongwu is feeling an extremely painful headache. Other members often tease about his weak stamina after a performance, but today he hasn’t been feeling exactly well since morning with minor headaches and occasional dizziness. And now, the headache is more painful than ever and his legs are getting numb._ _

__The finale song is getting close to finish. Woojin, walking back toward his group's direction, is the first to notice._ _

__"Hyung are you alright...HYUNG!!!"_ _

__Seongwu hears a lot of noises around him as his knees drop to the stage floor, and his world goes completely black before he gets to see Daniel dashing toward him._ _


	9. Chapter 9

Daniel knows that Seongwu’s smile is contagious and beautiful, but today Seongwu — in a simple yet elegant dark blue suit — just looks too perfect to be true.  
From where he is standing, Daniel can’t really see who is Seongwu waving at — but that doesn’t stop him from admiring Seongwu’s smile in awe.

And then Daniel frowns at the sight of Seongwu lowering his head and holding temples.

 

_…Is Seongwu hyung not feeling well again? Maybe I shouldn’t have asked him about eating dobogi…_

 

And then Daniel’s eyes widen in horror at the sight of Seongwu collapsing onto the floor like a broken doll.

Seongwu is not too far away from him, but the distance certainly feels like miles away for Daniel as he hurriedly runs to Seongwu. Dropping down to his knees next to Woojin, who is too shocked to make any move, Daniel scoops Seongwu into his arms off from the cold and wet floor. 

Seongwu looks like he’s in a peaceful sleep, and Daniel feels like the world has stopped for a second or two when he notices that Seongwu isn’t breathing.

“…Hyung wake up... can you hear me? Hey…hyung this is not funny!”  
“Daniel you calm down!!!”  
“Hyung let go of him so the medical team can help!!”

It takes Woojin, Jihoon and Jaehwan together to pull Daniel away from Seongwu so the medical team can carry the unconscious boy off the stage. Still in shock and state of disbelieve, the rest of Wanna One is quickly ushered back to their dressing room.

“Daniel what the hell were you doing?! You could have wasted the medical team’s time!!!”

Sungwoon’s mind was literally screaming 'oh my god is he fucking serious' when he saw Daniel holding onto Seongwu’s body and being completely oblivious of his surrounding.

“…Hyung, he wasn’t breathing…” Daniel whispers.

Sitting between Sungwoon and Daehwi, Daniel currently doesn’t look anything close to the Daniel people usually see on TV or the Daniel they live with every day. His face is a mess of tears and he looks scared like an abandoned child. Sungwoon sighs as he places a hand on the taller boy’s shoulder.

“I know I know… I wasn’t blaming you for being worried, that’s why we need him to get treated as soon as possible. But you need to hold yourself together, you can’t just lose control like that.”

After changing from stage outfit to regular outfit in complete silence, members are either sitting or standing here and there across the room. Eeryone is confused and no one knows exactly what to do, but one thing for sure is that they want to see Seongwu. Originally, the rest of Wanna One members are supposed to have BBQ together while Daniel, Woojin and Minhyun (aka the Busan line) get to spend some time with their families, but now no one is in the mood.

“Okay in that case, you guys will return to hotel early today. Get some rest boys.”

Everyone looks up staring at the lead manager.

“Can’t we go to the hospital later?” Minhyun asks.  
“No, it’s hospital and there will be chaos if we attract any more attention.”  
“Tomorrow?”  
“We are going back to Seoul tomorrow early morning, you all have other schedules to attend. We will rearrange Seongwu’s schedule.”

Jisung bites his bottom lip. Glancing across the room, he can clearly see how disappointed the members are.

“Can’t at least one of them go? You don’t need to bring the entire group, if someone is causing problem just let the police handle it.”

Woojin swiftly turns to the door when he hears a voice awfully familiar. 

“Dad!”

It’s none other than Woojin’s family followed by Minhyun’s and Daniel’s, who quickly come to Wanna One’s dressing room upon learning about Seongwu’s condition.

“Sir, with all due respect —”  
“I’m sure Seongwu would need to see someone he’s close to when he wakes up,” says Minhyun’s mom with a small smile on her beautiful face.

The members are looking back and forth between their parents and the lead manager, until the later lets out a sigh of defeat.

“…Alright, I’ll take one of you to the hospital to see Seongwu.”  
“I want to go.”

The lead manager looks to Daniel.

“No, not after you just nearly caused a scene out there. Jisung, you will come with me.”

Jisung nods, he quickly grabs his belongings and stops in front of Minhyun on his way out.

“Minhyun, while I’m away could you —”  
“Yeah no worries, I’ll look after them.”  
“Thanks.”

Meanwhile, Mrs. Kang walks over to her very distraught son and quietly stops other members from giving up their seats for her. 

“Niel ah, look at me.”

Squatting down in front of Daniel, Mrs. Kang wipes away a new string of tears that has just escape from the corner of Daniel’s eye when he blinks. She saw everything too from where she sat with other families.

“A face like this won’t help Seongwu. You just have to pray, that’s the only thing we can do.”

 

———————-

 

When Seongwu slowly opens his eyes, all he can see is an unfamiliar ceiling and an intravenous injection attached to his arm. The only noises in this unfamiliar room are the clock hanging on the wall and the beeping sound of a monitor placed next to his bed.

“…Oh my, thank goodness your are awake!”

Before Seongwu has the chance to look around, Jisung is already holding onto his shoulders with both hands and his face looks like he’s going to break down in tears anytime.

“Hyung… where are we?” Seongwu asks, his voice still weak.  
“We are at a hospital in Busan not too far away from the venue. How are you feeling now? You fainted and went unconscious during the finale, you weren’t breathing and your pulse stopped.”  
“Um lazy, I guess? Just not much energy… Hyung are you here by yourself?”  
“Manager hyung didn’t want all of us here because there might be chaos, so he only brought me. Others should be in the hotel right now. Fortunately there’s nothing too horribly or seriously wrong with you, the doctor said you just need to rest a lot — you do have a weaker stamina than most of us, after all.”

The two share a laugh in the room. Fixing Seongwu’s blanket upward to keep him warm, Jisung pauses briefly before he softly speaks again.

“…Daniel really wanted to come, but manager hyung wouldn’t let him.”  
“Why?”  
“He — and actually us too — wasn’t sure if Daniel could stay under control. When you fainted, Daniel was holding you in his arms and it took three of us to pull him off you so the medical team can take you away.”

Seongwu is speechless for a moment, because it is hard for him to picture Daniel losing his composure on stage in public.

Jisung pulls a chair closer to Seongwu’s bed and sits down close to him.

“I know you should be resting instead of talking to me but since we rarely have this opportunity…”  
“That’s fine, hyung. Go ahead.”  
“Have you and Daniel talked about it afterward? You know, that day in the living room.”  
“A little… He apologized the night he was really sick. I knew he was upset with himself but I didn’t want him to spend all those energy apologizing so I just told him that we were both at fault and let’s move on.”  
“…and that’s it?”  
“Yeah.”

Somehow, Seongwu doesn’t like the look of Jisung right now. Their beloved, angelic leader has that look on his face again.

“…Sometimes I thought, maybe I should have done something different…”  
“Oh hyung don’t say that.”  
“I made it difficult for you guys to really talk it out, right?”  
“Hyung you did what you have to for the group. What happened between Daniel and I was simply bad for the team.”  
“It was only bad for the team because you guys were sex buddies, not because of your feeling Seongwu ah. Kuanlin already told me and Sungwoon about it that night after you changed room.”

For some reasons Seongwu is not surprised with Kuanlin spilling the beans — their maknae is worried so he is bound to tell someone.

“Are you not going to tell him at all?”  
“Hyung you know who he likes, and his ideal type is someone petite with small hands.”  
“But that’s long time ago and Jihoon is with Kuanlin now. And to be honest, I haven’t seen him paying attention to Jihoon lately.”

Compared to Jisung’s worried face, Seongwu is smiling and looking so much more at ease.

“I guess I’ve just reached the point where… My relationship with Daniel, he can call it whatever he wants. I don’t care what kind of name he wants to use to represent us, whether it’s friends or brothers or something else — I’m fine with that. The title is just a title, I don’t want to waste too much energy on that… I just want to have as much fun as possible with him, and with you guys.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave kudos/comments to let me know what do you think about the story so far, because it really motives me to be creative and write :) The next chapter will bring up one of the members' personal story.
> 
> Happy Thanksgiving!!!


	10. Chapter 10

Sungwoon and Minhyun were in Daniel and Jaehwan’s room when they received a Wanna One group message from their manager telling them that Seongwu is awake and just needs more rest. Feeling relieved at last and now hungry, they ordered meals and drinks through room service.

Jaehwan looks at Daniel, who has been very quiet and not showing much interest in his food. 

“Daniel ah…”  
“Hm?”  
“It’s understandable that you may not want to discuss what’s on your mind at this point, but I certainly hope that you would feel comfortable enough to at least tell us something…”

Daniel looks back at Jaehwan in silence, waiting for his 96line friend to continue. Somehow, he has a pretty good idea of what Jaehwan is going to ask him.

“…What does Seongwu hyung means to you exactly? I mean, I don’t think you’re the type of person who can just have sex with someone — let alone a guy — without having any feeling.”  
“Actually, I’ve been wanting to ask this question too…,” says Minhyun. “You know, you’ve been acting kind of weird ever since Seongwu switched room with Sungwoon hyung, and then the way you reacted on the stage tonight… That wasn't like you, Daniel.”

Daniel knows that Jaehwan and Minhyun are going to ask him about Seongwu, because he has been thinking about it himself too. 

He liked Jihoon and he has always liked Jihoon, so since when did his eyes start to follow Seongwu around more and more? Daniel doesn’t remember the exact timing but every time he looks, Seongwu seems to be perfectly fine and happy without him. The sight of someone else making Seongwu happy tugged at his heartstrings for some reasons that Daniel can't really pinpoint. He used to think that he and Seongwu are the closest, and so do all the OngNiel shippers around the world — but now every once a while he feels like Seongwu is getting more and more further away from him. And it was his scariest moment in life when he thought he was really going to lose Seongwu right there on the stage.

“I’ve been thinking about that too but… I honestly don’t have a clear answer right now.”

 

Or maybe he’s just too afraid to have one, too afraid of the possibility that things will not be the same or even change for the worse regardless of his decision.

 

Seeing that they are not getting anything out of Daniel, Sungwoon decides to say something as a last resort.

“...Do you know that Seongwu loves you? Not the brotherly type of love but like, he is IN LOVE with you.”

Daniel snaps his head up and stares at Sungwoon with his mouth slightly parted. 

Maybe this is why he is getting impatient with their team’s resident center, Sungwoon thinks to himself — because he knew all along the reason why Seongwu always put up with Daniel no matter what the younger boy does.

“Hyung where did you hear that?” Minhyun asks. The unexpected revelation catches Minhyun and Jaehwan off guard too, with the later now coughing at his food.  
“Kuanlin came to me and Jisung hyung after ‘that thing’ happened… Apparently he got Seongwu to talk and then he was trying to convince Jisung hyung. I haven’t heard a word from Seongwu about this but Kuanlinnie never lies, and I can tell it’s true… Jisung hyung feels the same way too.”

Sungwoon turns back to look at Daniel who is now pacing around the room, running his hands through his hair and looking clearly frustrated.

“…I know it’s not easy and you’re probably shocked, but you need to make up your mind.”  
“That… that’s not really the point,” Daniel drops his hands in defeat. “I just feel like whatever decision I make, things will just be worse. Even if he does like me that way, I... I don't want to hurt him anymore but I just don't think I deserve him.”

A knock on the door interrupts the ongoing discussion in the room. Minhyun walks over to open the door and he's surprised to see Woojin standing outside.

 

———————

 

Picking up his bag as their manager waiting for him outside, Jisung looks to Seongwu with concern.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay by yourself?  
“Don’t worry about me, hyung. I’m a grownup, not a baby. You should be worrying about your own lack of sleep. Thanks for the company though.”  
“Well, in that case…

Jisung walks over to the chair where they put Seongwu’s stuffs and picks out Seongwu’s cell phone. He places it on Seongwu’s bed within Seongwu’s reachable distance.

“Tell Daniel that yourself.”  
“What?”  
“You can call him or text him, either way. Tell him in your own words that you are okay, because I swear he will be the one bombarding me with questions and I don’t really want to deal with that when I’m really tired,” says Jisung jokingly before bidding Seongwu goodnight with a warm smile.

 

———————

 

“Hey Woojinnie what’s up?”  
“Minhyun hyung why are you — ah, are other hyungs here as well?”  
“Sungwoon hyung and I just came over to eat with Jaehwannie and Daniel, come join us!”

Woojin hesitantly follows Minhyun into the room, and his first instinct tells him that his hyungs were talking about something serious.

“Hyung did I interrupt you guys? If so I’ll just —”  
“No no it’s alright. Do you need something?”  
“Well… I actually wanted to talk to Daniel hyung about something but didn’t expect you all to be here…”

The four older members exchange glances — Woojin is rarely like this.

Daniel pushes himself off the wall and motions Woojin to sit down with him on the bed.

“You want to talk to me?”  
“…Yeah…well…”  
“Woojin ah, if you don’t feel comfortable we can totally leave,” says Sungwoon, getting off from his seat.  
“Oh no it’s fine! I… I’ve never told anyone about this, but after seeing what happened today on the stage I’ve decided to face it and come clean about it so it’s okay.”

 

_…Come clean?_

 

Confused, the four older members exchange glances again but encourage Woojin to carry on.

“I…I was in a similar situation as Daniel hyung… during Produce.”  
“What do you mean by ‘similar situation’?”

Woojin has his head down when he nervously plays with his own hands. But when he looks up and his eyes meet with Daniel’s, he looks more determined than ever.

“…I had someone too, like how you have Seongwu hyung.”


	11. Chapter 11

The room is silent, and Woojin quickly becomes flustered when he sees his hyungs gawking at him. 

“OH. NO, no we didn’t have sex!! Not exactly … we just helped each other once by hands —” 

One can totally tell that Woojin is flustered by the way he trails off with his words.

“…And how’s that different?”  
“Aish Jaehwan hyung it’s not like that!!”

Jaehwan earns himself a gentle smack in the head from Minhyun, who calmly encourages Woojin to continue. 

“Anyways…I think we were more like ‘some’ than ‘friends with benefit’? We usually cuddle and hold hands when we were alone …”

Daniel quietly keeps his eyes on Woojin, who has his eyes fixed somewhere on the bed.

“…It was Hyeongseob, wasn’t it?”

Without looking up, Woojin nods. 

 

**~~~Flashback~~~**

 

It was the night before live broadcast of Produce 101 Season 2 finale in which Wanna One’s final lineup would be announced. After wrapping up their respective practice sessions, Woojin and Hyeongseob met up in secret. They sat in silence on the floor with their back against the wall and their fingers intertwined.

“Woojin ah…”  
“Hm?”

Woojin turned around just in time to find Hyeongseob’s face within inches from him. They were so close to the point where their noses were touching and they could feel each other’s breathing.

“…Kiss me? Please?”

Hyeogseob’s whisper was soft like feather, and Woojin could see his own reflection in Hyeongseob’s eyes.

They kissed for the first time in the 4 months they’ve known each other. The kiss started off very light, and then things gradually heated up as they began to search, explore and want each other. With one hand placed behind Hyeongseob’s lower back, Woojin’s other hand found its way under Hyeongseob’s underwear. The raven hair Yuehua trainee couldn’t help letting out a gasp and moan when Woojin began to caress him.

“…After this is all over… if I don’t make it tomorrow… let’s end this.”

 

**~~~End of Flashback~~~**

 

“I later found out that Yuehua and Mnet had some kind of agreement… The highest ranking for Yuehuwa trainees will be Top 20, and he knew it already.”

Woojin lets out a sigh. He can still vividly remember that scene — him sitting in that No.6 seat on one side, and Hyeongseob with a sad smile standing on the other side.

“Are you guys still in touch?”

Daniel softly asks, only to have the red haired boy shaking his head.

“No. We have each other’s contact information, but he hasn’t contacted me since,” says Woojin. “And I don’t know how to initiate it either… I think he already made his decision on what he thought was in our best interest — or my best interest to be exact.”

Woojin shifts his gaze back to Daniel.

“What I’m trying to say is… I don’t know the details between you two but there must be something in your mind, and there must be something about Seongwu hyung that makes him different. If you don’t say a single word… he’s not going to know anything.”

“…Do you have regrets?”

“I try not to think of it as regret, but the ‘what if’ questions do come back to me sometimes… If I had said something, would things be slightly different for us?”

 

—————————-

 

Seongwu looks down to his hand, which is currently occupied by someone else’s.

“Niel ah, you know I can walk perfectly fine on my own.”

Wanna One has just returned back to South Korea and is currently walking in the airport lobby with crowds of people following them and tons of cameras flashing at them. 

 

_Would there be photos of them holding hands? Would their company think it is inappropriate?_

 

Seongwu has all these questions and worries rushing through his head, but the person holding his hand just continues what he’s doing and doesn’t bother to answer Seongwu back. 

“It’s not a big deal hyung, I cling onto Jinyoung hyung all the time too.”

In their room, Seongwu sends Daehwi — who’s already sitting up in his upper bunk and putting on facial mask — an “you just have no idea do you” look.

“It’s cute when you two do it, not for me and Daniel,” says Seongwu, putting on the long sleeve t-shirt he wears to sleep. “I just hope they won’t say bad things about it.”  
“And who are they?”  
“The company, the general public… I swear people are watching us with magnifying glasses 24/7.”

Jihoon, who is visiting their room, smiles.

“Hyung, I don’t think you need to worry about the company. If holding your hand puts Daniel hyung at ease, they would rather have that instead of Daniel hyung yelling at people again.”

 

Now Seongwu remembers.

 

It was shortly after Seongwu’s return to the group. All 11 of them were scheduled to record a variety show and it would be Seongwu’s first public appearance after the Busan incident. Everyone — Seongwu included — could tell Daniel was not happy with the fact that their management was already putting Seongwu to work in front of cameras when he was still not feeling well. It was more obvious when they were riding in the company van, where Daniel was quiet and had a poker face most of the time.

There were too many people outside waiting to see Seongwu and things got pretty chaotic outside the building and across the street. Members had to help and protect one another from getting lost in the crowd: Minhyun pulling the petite Sungwoon in the front, Daniel wrapping his arm firmly around Seongwu, and Jisung staying in the back to make sure the group is intact.

“Linlin you go ahead, I need to help Seongwu hyung. Don’t worry, I’ll catch up later.”

Although he’s worried for his boyfriend, Kuanlin still obediently led go of Jihoon’s hand and moved to check on other hyungs. Woojin and Jihoon may not be the tallest members in the group, but the Pink Sausage Squad is Wanna One’s resident physical powerhouse without question. They found their way close to Seongwu and shielded him from the crowd that never seems to stop pushing.

“Hyung you alright?” Woojin asked.  
“Yeah… I”m fine.”

Jihoon noticed how Seongwu’s face looked paler than before. He was just about to tell Seongwu that they’ll be there soon so just hold on tight, when the already furious Daniel who has lost patience began yelling at the crowd and made all three of them jump.

“GOD DAMN IT! ALL OF YOU FREAKING BACK OFF!”


	12. Chapter 12

Although more fans seem to agree with Daniel’s action, leaving comments like ---

“Serve those sasaeng right.”  
“Poor Seongwu oppa… he didn’t look well :( ”  
“Daniel ah let noona do the yelling for you next time!” 

Daniel still earned himself a long lecture from the management afterward because photos and tweets about Daniel’s action started going around the Internet very soon. Thankfully nothing has happened again after that incident, but Daniel has made it a habit of his own to stay close to Seongwu at all time.

He simply cannot allow what happened in Busan to happen again.

 

———————————

 

_“I know you were worried about me and I truly appreciated, but you should watch out for yourself too.”_  
_“Hyung I just want to watch out for you and stay next to you.”_  
_“Our Niel is the center~ How can you stay next to me the whole time?”_

Daniel normally falls asleep within seconds because he’s just so overworked by their management — and he really needs it right now because he only had 2 hours of sleep yesterday. He hasn’t been able to do it just now, as his mind keeps going back to what Seongwu said to him earlier — and the way Seongwu pats his head with a small, understanding smile.

Like what Sungwoon and Woojin said, he needs to put an end to his ambiguous relationship with Seongwu and hopefully they can have a fresh start. Things are just not the same for OngNiel Science after so much had happened, and the only reason Seongwu is still “close” with him is because they are still in the same group.

Who knows what's going to happen after their contract is up, and drifting away from Seongwu is just not something Daniel can imagine.

The question is, how can he get Seongwu to trust him enough to give it a try?

 

———————————

 

Staring at the sky blue envelop being handed to him, Seongwu looks up to Jisung with a puzzled face.

“Daniel asked me to give it to you when he left this morning.”

Seongwu slowly takes that envelop from Jisung, and he is immediately shocked by the thickness of the envelop — which contains far more than just a piece of paper or two.

 

_…Did he… write it for me?_

 

“Did he say anything?”

Jisung shakes his head.

“I asked him if there’s anything else he would like me to pass onto you, but he just said that you have to read it.”

Before Seongwu has a chance to respond, their manager’s voice starts to ring from the dorm entrance.

“Seongwu ah! What’s taking so long it’s time to go!”  
“Be right there!”

Seongwu quickly shoves Daniel’s letter into his backpack, leaving the dorm with Jisung, Woojin and Jinyoung for their next schedule at MBC. Once they settle themselves in the van, Jisung looks to Seongwu who’s sitting next to him.

“Are you not going to read it now? We may not have time after this.”  
“…I’ll find time to do it later.”

For some reasons, Seongwu doesn’t think that letter is something to be taken lightly with a relaxed mind.

Seongwu also has an individual magazine interview after the variety show recording at MBC. Focus on work first and then find time to concentrate on reading the letter, he thinks to himself. 

 

———————————

 

As for Daniel, he arrives at the top floor of their dorm building 15 minutes before the scheduled 4PM written in his own letter. When he picks out his cell phone to check the time, it’s now 4:30PM and Seongwu is nowhere to be seen.

 

_Hyung is so slow… I checked with manager hyung yesterday and he should be back by now…_  
_Is he… not coming?_

 

Daniel immediately shakes off the idea.

 

_No way, Seongwu hyung wouldn’t do that. He’ll at least say something instead of leaving me behind…_

 

He looks up to the sky when he feels like something dripping onto his nose.

 

_Oops, the weather forecast in the radio this morning said something like it’s probably going to rain… I don’t have an umbrella with me because I came here right away instead of returning to the dorm first._

_But, it’s okay. Hyung will be here soon._

 

————————————

 

“Why is Daniel hyung not back yet? Is his recording taking this long today?”

Glancing at the clock, Daehwi frowns as he places another dish on the table before returning to the kitchen to help Minhyun.

“I heard from manager hyung that he finished it on time. Maybe he’s meeting someone today? Did he call any of you guys?”

The rest of Wanna One members shake their heads in response to Jisung’s question. The thing is, Daniel has way too many items on his schedule for them to memorize what he’s doing on what day.

“I texted him but he didn’t respond.”  
“I called him but it went to voicemail.”  
“Voicemail? Maybe his phone is out of battery?”  
“Oh no, then how can we get a hold of him?”

Jisung quickly tells everyone to be quiet by waving his arms around, because too many people speaking at once is giving him headache.

“I will ask manager hyung again later, maybe Daniel has to do something last minute. Minhyun actually took the time to cook for us today so let’s dig in.”

Shortly after everyone settles down around the table, Seongwu returns to the dorm with clear exhaustion. Because the MBC recording was delayed, Seongwu’s magazine photoshoot and interview were delayed as well and ended up being longer than planned.

“You’re back just in time! Hurry, come over!”

Sungwoon quickly pulls out the chair next to him before getting up to grab another bowl of rice for Seongwu. Too tired to speak or even crack a joke, Seongwu eats quietly before Jihoon — who’s sitting in front of him — carefully speaks up.

“Seongwu hyung, did you hear anything from Daniel hyung?”  
“No, why?”  
“He’s supposed to be back from his recording long time ago but he hasn’t contacted us since…”

The conversation between Jihoon and Seongwu immediately brings Jisung’s attention.

“Ya, Seongwu, did you read that letter?”  
“…OH SHOOT I HAVEN’T! The MBC recording was taking too much time and I was immediately sent off to somewhere else…” 

Seongwu trails off as he abruptly gets up and runs to retrieve the backpack he has just carelessly abandoned on the living room sofa.

Sitting on the other end of the table, Jinyoung’s head perks up when he hears the word ‘letter.’

“Letter? The one Daniel hyung wrote?”  
“How do you know?”  
“I saw him writing something in the living room last night when I had to use the restroom. He didn’t notice my presence because he was so focus so I didn’t bother him, so it was for Seongwu hyung?”

Woojin, Sungwoon, Minhyun and Jaehwan quickly exchange glances with one another. Kuanlin gets up from his seat and walks toward Seongwu, who’s standing in front of sofa with his back facing everyone. When Kuanlin is close enough to gently place his hand on Seongwu’s shoulder, he sees Seongwu scanning through the papers with his eyes widen, his mouth slightly parted and his breathing is also getting faster.

“Hyung don’t scare me! What did Daniel hyung say?”

Everyone can’t help leaving the dining table and gathering around Seongwu and Kuanlin as soon as maknae mentions Daniel, who is still missing in action.

“Kuanlin… what time… is it right now?”  
“Now? It’s 6:30… HYUNG! WAIT UP!”

Bending down, Daehwi carefully picks up those pieces of paper dropped by Seongwu.

 

 

_“Seongwu hyung, would you give us a chance to start over and do it right?”_


	13. Chapter 13

Seongwu hurriedly runs to the dorm entrance and grabs his shoes.

“Seongwu where are you going?!”  
“I will bring Daniel back!”  
“You — Hey! At least wear a jacket!”

Before Minhyun can retrieve Seongwu’s jacket from the sofa, Seongwu is already out the door with an umbrella in his hand and wearing only a long sleeve T-shirt.

 

—————————

 

_‘Please be there… Niel ah please be there…’_

 

Seongwu can almost hear his heart pounding lounder and louder as the floor number increases one by one. He curses about the lengthy elevator ride, even though the elevator of their dorm building is functioning perfectly fine.

 

_If even a short elevator ride can be this nerve wracking, then what about all those hours Daniel has spent alone waiting for him…? If he’s still there…_

 

Seongwu isn’t sure when did his vision start to get blurry, but it completely breaks down as soon as he reaches the top floor.

He is really standing there, still standing there, waiting.  
Despite the horrible weather and poor lighting, Daniel is still breathtakingly handsome.

 

_I’m so stupid._

 

Seongwu thinks to himself.

 

_And so is that romantic-wannabe idiot._

 

———————————-

 

“KANG EUIGEON!”

Daniel’s head snaps up upon hearing someone yelling his old name, and the rain that has been hitting his body and head nonstop seems to have stopped. 

It’s Seongwu running toward him, holding an umbrella above his head. The handsome and older boy starts to yell before Daniel can get his mouth to function again with something appropriate to say.

“Why are you doing this?! Why didn’t you tell Jisung hyung that you would be waiting here??? What if I didn’t read the letter today?! And your phone —”

Seongwu soon finds himself tightly wrapped in Daniel’s arms, with the younger boy burying his face into Seongwu’s shoulder. When his face brushes against Daniel’s soaking wet hoodie, it immediately hits Seongwu that this is not the time to argue. He pushes himself out of Daniel’s embrace and tugs onto the younger’s arm.

“Let’s go home.”

He links his arm around Daniel’s, wanting to drag Daniel toward the door but only to have Daniel pulling him back again with much stronger force.

“Tell me your answer first.”  
“Daniel you’ll get sick and we can’t let that happen!!!”  
“Just tell me! Whatever your answer may be… just tell me.”

Seongwu badly wants to bring Daniel back to their dorm and tell the younger to take a hot shower and change his clothes, but apparently that’s currently the last thing on Daniel’s mind. Reaching out to gently hold Daniel’s left hand that’s hanging by his side, Seongwu bites his bottom lip as he feels the icy coldness of Daniel’s hand.

 

_For three hours…_  
_Waiting in the rain…_  
_Risking the possibility of falling badly ill…_  
_…All just to hear my decision._

 

“You asked me if I would give you a chance… you don’t need to.”

A mixture of anxiety, defeat and hurt flashes across Daniel’s eyes for a moment, but his view is soon blocked by Seongwu’s handsome face getting closer and closer to him. And then, he feels a pair of soft and warmer lips covering his much colder ones — so gentle like feathers falling.

“…You never have to ask.”

 

—————————————-

 

**Four years later - August 2022 -**

 

Seongwu’s phone starts to ring when he’s walking toward his car. He checks the caller ID with a smile before answering it as soon as he settles into the driver’s seat.

“Jaehwannie~~~”  
“Seongwu hyung~~~ are you able to talk now?”  
“Yup, what’s up?”  
“Hyung are you coming next week for sure? You and Minhyun hyung are birthday stars.”

After Wanna One disbandment, the members still keep in touch through their Kakao chatroom. Even though the volume of messages dwindles due to everyone moving onto different paths and working on different stuffs, they never fail to send greetings to one another on birthdays and holidays, or congratulate on one another’s work. This August is Wanna One’s 5th anniversary and Sungwoon has the idea of getting everyone together to celebrate their special debut as well as the birthdays of Minhyun and Seongwu.

“Don’t worry, Sungwoon hyung already asked me like three times. Who else will be there?”  
“I have album recording that day so I will be late. Jisung hyung will be there for sure, he just finished military and really really wants to see us. Daehwi and Woojinnie are on tour but I think they have that evening off. Kuanlinnie is in Taiwan for work, and Jihoonnie and Jinyoungie are kind of pending… Oh, and I haven’t heard from Daniel…”

Sensing the uncertainty on the other side of the phone, Seongwu chuckles.

“Don’t worry, I will be there regardless of his decision. Sounds like a fun party that I can’t wait.”

After hanging up the call with Jaehwan, Seongwu drives to his favorite coffee shop before driving to his agency. Seongwu is just about to leave after grabbing his drink when a woman carefully approaches him.

“Um… are you Ong Seongwu? From Wanna One?”

Seongwu is surprised that people still recognize Wanna One.  
Four years may not be too long, but it’s long enough for people to forget a time limited group that was once so popular.

“Thank you for remembering us :)”  
“Of course I remember, I was a Wannable! I liked all 11 of you, but you and Daniel were my favorite members. I watched all your dramas and variety shows and I bought all Daniel’s albums. Do you guys…keep in touch?”

Seongwu’s phone begins to ring again, and he smiles again upon seeing the caller ID before quickly putting his phone back into his pocket.

“Yes, we’re definitely in touch.”

 

—————————-

 

Dressed in his favorite shirt, Seongwu can’t help smiling when he sees that familiar car parked outside his apartment building. He climbs into the passenger seat, pulling the seatbelt in front of him before the car begins to move.

“What happened to your practice with that famous choreographer from US? I can just go by myself and I’m a better driver than you.”  
“That choreographer is a friend so I just rescheduled it, no biggie. Since Minhyun hyung — aka your birthday buddy — doesn’t drink, they will most likely try to get you drunk so you need a designated driver.”  
“I can ask Woojinnie for a ride. I mean, I don’t want you to get into trouble with people at work because of me.”  
“Why would I have some other guy driving my boyfriend to my boyfriend’s birthday party?”

Seongwu rolls his eyes, unable to hold back his smile at the same time.

“Kang Daniel how can you still be this cheesy, and Woojinnie is not ‘some other guy’ okay?”

While waiting for red light to turn green, Daniel answers his phone through speaker. It’s a call from Jinyoung, asking Daniel for their whereabout.

“I went to pick up Seongwu hyung first… Yeah there’s a little traffic… Tell others don’t get wasted just yet before we arrive ^___^ … Oh by the way can you order something for us first —”

A lot of things are different now, him and Daniel included — but something never change. Glancing to his left, Seongwu is grateful that despite the tremendous, overwhelming amount of attention and success the younger man has been receiving, Daniel is still a giant samoyed with a pure heart — the very same one he fell for 5 years ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The main storyline ends with this chapter, and the "side stories" will start from chapter 14.
> 
> -OngNiel smut (Like actually in love, because OngNiel is Science and we can't leave that out)  
> -PanWink drama  
> -JinSeob reunion
> 
> Thank you all for taking an interest in following this story :)


	14. Kuanlin x Jihoon (1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuanlin gets insecure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, it's been hard to find quality time to write~~~  
> Hope you guys are still around...???

Sitting in the living room, Kuanlin has his eyes fixed on the iPad in his hand. He is in his own world so deeply that he doesn’t realize Jinyoung standing in front of him until Jinyoung snatches away the iPad from him.

“Hyung —”

Jinyoung doesn’t bother to read what’s written underneath a fan-made video of Daniel and Jihoon, because Kuanlin’s facial expression speaks enough. Jinyoung just quietly clicks “report” on each of those malicious comments calling Kuanlin attention seeking, saying he thought too high of himself, saying he wasn’t good enough, saying he was just using Jihoon to get camera time, and worst of all saying that Jihoon belonged with Daniel because Daniel was better…

“Jihoon hyung will be upset if he knows you’ve been reading these stupid comments again.”  
“I was just watching some videos and then stumbled across it… I haven’t been reading those stuffs for a while.”

The dorm is quieter than usual: Woojin and Daehwi visit MXM at Brandnew Music to congratulate the rookie duo’s latest comeback, Sungwoon visit his HOTSHOT members and Daniel, Jihoon, Seongwu, Minhyun and Jaehwan are recording a variety show — again.

“Are you two okay? What’s with those faces?”

Jisung walks past the living room and notices the heavy mood. Before Kuanlin gets to open his mouth, Jinyoung is quick to tell their leader what’s going on.

“Kuanlinnie was watching videos of Daniel hyung and Jihoon hyung and reading hate comments about himself again.”

Taking a pause before letting out a heavy sigh, Jisung walks over to hug their maknae tightly.

“They don’t mean a thing because they know nothing. Jihoonnie loves you and —”  
“Yeah, I know…” 

Kuanlin answers, but even himself doesn’t really believe it. He glances toward the clock, Jihoon and others won’t be back until later. Kuanlin decides to call their manager to drive him to the company because he wants to work on some rap — and he insists on going alone.

After Kuanlin is gone, Jisung looks to Jinyoung.

“What were those comments?”  
“I just scanned through the first couple ones and then reported all of them… I didn’t read much into them because I really didn’t feel like repeating.”

Jisung gives the worried looking Jinyoung a reassuring and knowing pat on the shoulder.

“It’s okay, you did well. Jihoonnie is really busy today… wish I can find a good timing to talk to him sometimes later.”  
“Kuanlinnie seems off… hyung, do you think he’s taking those to heart?”  
“Let him be for now and don’t push it just yet, I’m sure he’ll talk to someone when he feels comfortable.”

 

———————————-

 

Daniel and Jihoon end up being the last two to finish their schedule, and everyone is asleep by the time they return. 

“Daniel hyung.”

Exhausted, Daniel is just about to go straight to his room when Jihoon softly calls from behind. He looks back toward the wink boy, puzzled.

“What?”  
“I understand you’re tired and want to sleep, but… how about a beer?”

Daniel blinks twice while staring at the boy in front of him.

 

_Ah that’s right, Jihoon is an adult now._

 

“Sure.”

 

_A nice cold beer after work doesn’t sound like a bad idea._

 

So here they are, sitting across from each other at the dining table, taking a quiet sip of their beer after a quiet toast.

“Jihoon ah, is there something you want to say to me? If not, why the sudden beer?”  
“…Yeah, I do.”  
“Okay, I’m listening.”  
“Seongwu hyung said you two are not official yet.”

Shifting his eyes away from Jihoon, Daniel puts down the beer can in his hand.

“No we’re not.”  
“Why not? We don’t have much time together…”

Jihoon’s voice is soft, but it sounds so determined that he’s not going to let go until he’s satisfied with Daniel’s answer.

“I want to find a good timing but we haven’t had the chance to be alone.” 

Daniel chuckles when he see Jihoon staring at him in a way that’s almost accusing him ‘what are you playing at’. 

“Don’t worry, I’m not messing with your Seongwu hyung. I know what I’m doing this time.”

Jihoon’s face softened upon hearing those words from Daniel’s mouth. His lips curl up to a small smile as he takes another sip of his beer.

“I’m glad to hear that. Hyung, remember when we first debut the variety shows often ask us what kind of person we are when it comes to romantic relationship?”  
“Yeah?”  
“And how you said that you always take initiative, when you like someone you just go for it, and you think that action speaks louder than words?  
“…Yeah?”  
“I don’t know… Maybe it’s because we’re guys, but I’ve never seen that side of you.”

Daniel frowns, not really sure where Jihoon is going with this.

“Jihoonnie what are you talking about?”  
“…I know you used to have feeling for me.”

Now all Daniel can do for a second or do is gawking at Jihoon — stunned.  


“I overheard you and Jisung hyung talking one time and that’s how I found out…”

Jihoon sounds pretty peaceful as he speaks, but Daniel immediately feels bad for causing potential burden of any kind to Jihoon back then.

“I — I’m sorry Jihoonie, really, I didn’t mean to —”  
“It’s alright hyung, because I was actually curious about my own feeling for you too.”  
“HUH?!”

This time a silent gawking cannot hold back Daniel’s shock, and he immediately covers his mouth not wanting to wake up others. Gripping onto his beer can, Jihoon is surprised how he’s able to talk to Daniel about this. He probably couldn’t have done it without the beer, but he had to. Everyone could tell that Daniel and Seongwu are meant-to-be soulmates and the two look the happiest and most at ease when they’re with each other. Jihoon became concerned when he casually asked Seongwu and the older boy told him that they are “as usual.”

Jihoon is afraid that Daniel is going to let it slip again, when Seongwu is this close to him, love him the same if not more.

“…You what?! But weren’t you and Kuanlin —”  
“It was before that. Yes, Kuanlin was never shy about showing his affection for me but I was hesitant. I thought I had something for you and I was curious about it, and that’s when I overheard that conversation between you and Jisung hyung. I thought you would tell me or at least do something but… you never did. After a while, Kuanlin confessed and official asked me out, so I said yes.”

 

——————————-

 

Next day morning, Wanna One have to rehearse for an upcoming special stage so they all pile into the two vans after grabbing quick breakfast. Jihoon gets in the middle row, saving the spot beside him for Kuanlin as he always did. Jihoon doesn’t remember if Kuanlin has ever sat anywhere else, so he is really confused when the younger boy, with his black hoodie pulled over his baseball cap, moves past him and settles in the back row next to Daehwi near the window.

“Kuanlinnie?” 

Jihoon turned around and looked at Kuanlin, confused like a lost puppy.

“Hyung I want to sleep more before practice,” Kuanlin mutters and rest his head against the window with his eyes closed.  
“Oh…alright.”


	15. Kuanlin x Jihoon (2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So happy to see so many comments and kudos from you guys for the story :)

Hearing the sound of water running from the kitchen, Jihoon peeks in to see Kuanlin quietly washing the dishes. Jihoon walks up, takes away the plate Kuanlin is holding and moves to rinse off the detergent.

“Oh what the — Hyung you should go rest, I can take care of this.”  
“I don’t feel comfortable leaving you to do all the work.”  
“It’s okay… This is kind of healing, actually.”

Jihoon understands what Kuanlin means, and he decides not to push it. Kuanlin was awful during their practice today — clearly not in condition — to the point their dance instructor didn’t want to talk anymore. 

“Hyung, can I ask you something?”  
“Yea go ahead.”  
“…Why did you decide to go out with me?”  
“…And it has to do with those hate comments, right?”

Kuanlin stops his action momentarily and looks to Jihoon, who is smiling at him and looking serious at the same time.

“Jinyoungie told me already, no wonder you were acting weird throughout the day. Don’t take to heart the stuffs some people say when you don’t even know who they are.”  
“No… that’s not the reason, I’m just curious. Come on hyung~ this shouldn’t be this hard right?”

Putting away a mug, Jihoon lets out a sigh feeling a bit embarrassed.

“Well… first of all you told me how you feel…”  
“And? What did you like about me?”

Now Jihoon is getting flustered: What do I like about Kuanlin? There are too many things to talk about but I can’t put them in simple words…

After a long effort of trying to put something together, Jihoon shakes his head smiling and shrugs.

“I don’t know how to say it properly, just you being you I guess.”  
“…Alright~~~”

Looking away, Kuanlin sounds perfectly fine with that playful tone and begins to talk about something else. They finally have some free time tonight, and Jihoon wants to ask Kuanlin if he wants to watch a movie together before going to bed.

“Kuanlin ah —”  
“Hyung —”

The pair can’t help smiling a little when both of them speak at the same time.

“You go first.”

It’s impossible for Kuanlin to hold back that bitterness in his heart as he keeps his eyes on Jihoon, who’s carefully wiping the sink’s surrounding area.

“I… I want to take a break.”  
“Hm? what break? Like a day off?”  
“…A break from this relationship.”

Jihoon stops to look at Kuanlin with his eyes widen, not believing what he has just heard.

“…Why?”

Avoiding that pair of large bubbly eyes of Jihoon, Kuanlin reaches out to grab the wet cloth from Jihoon’s hand and put it away.

“Hyung you saw what happened at the dance practice today… It will be better for us, at least until I can get myself to focus again.”

Of course Jihoon doesn’t buy it, and he is immediately reminded of their earlier conversation. Jihoon moves to wrap his arms around Kuanlin’s waist and buries his face into Kuanlin’s neck, smelling the nice scent of the taller boy’s shower gel.

“What’s going on? Did something happen?”  
“Nothing, I just… don’t really feel confident anymore.”  
“Kuanlinnie what is this all about?”  
“Hyung you can’t even give me one reason why you like me and agree to go out with me in the first place!”  
“You of all people should know that I’m not good at the cheesy stuffs! Didn’t you see how flustered I was?”

Both of them have raised their voices by now. With the way Jihoon tightening his arms, Kuanlin can tell the older boy is very upset and confused. At the same time, Kuanlin is simply exhausted. He usually isn’t like this, so just blame it on the insecurity that continues to add from all sides.

“If I didn’t keep nagging you, maybe you wouldn’t even consider me for a second.”  
“How can you say that??!!”  
“Because you liked Daniel hyung and you would still be waiting for him to say something!”

Jihoon freezes upon hearing Kuanlin’s words.

 

_He heard it…_

 

Reaching both of his hands upward, Jihoon cups Kuanlin’s cheeks with both hands. The taller boy obviously is unable to hold back his emotion and keep a normal face, and the sight gives Jihoon a stab in his heart.

“Hyung I thought you said yes because you like me…”  
“I do like you! What you heard last night isn’t what I meant at that time! Linlin you have to believe me…”

There is a thick silence in the kitchen as Jihoon desperately tries to calm down Kuanlin and lightly strokes the taller boy’s face with much hesitation, afraid of being pushed away.

“Jihoonnie?… Kuanlinnie?… Are you guys alright?”

Jisung’s concerned voice breaks the tense atmosphere, along with other members who gathered to see what the bickering is about. It’s not Kuanlin’s intention to have everyone’s attention, and he unconsciously bites his bottom lip when his eyes happen to meet Daniel’s, who’s looking at him worried. 

Kuanlin grabs Jihoon’s hands away from his face, and Jihoon quickly holds the younger boy’s hands close to his chest.

“Linlin please… Don’t be like this…”

The way Jihoon is begging him like a poor baby.  
The way Daniel and Seongwu are looking at them.

All of a sudden, Kuanlin wants to care less about how others may think of him.

 

_Is he too stingy?_  
_Is he too childish?_  
_Is he too selfish?_  
_Is he too insecure?_

 

Screw it, Kuanlin thinks to himself. 

It’s not even September so he’s still a freaking 17-year-old according to Korean people and 16-year-old according to everyone else.

He's not a saint, he's just a normal boy dating someone he loves.

 

_What’s the point of labeling himself for something he just has no control over?_  
_What’s the point of trying to be someone he is not?_

 

Kuanlin forcefully pulls his hands out of Jihoon’s grip.

“Sorry, I’m not like Daniel hyung.”

On the verge of tearing up, Kuanlin quickly pushes past all of his hyungs, running away from the scene and leaving behind a dumbstruck Jihoon and the rest of the gang in pure shock.


	16. Kuanlin x Jihoon (3)

Sitting on the floor hugging his knees, Kuanlin only lifts his head when he feels someone gently combing his hair. He hurriedly wipes off the tears and sees Sungwoon sitting in front of him, Jinyoung and Daehwi standing around them. 

“Sorry…,” Kuanlin whispers, trying to maintain his composure. It only takes him a few seconds to realize that he’s not in his room. After that OngNiel icebreaker on the roof top, Seongwu moved back to his original room with Jisung and Daniel while Sungwoon moved back to room with Daehwi and Jinyoung.

“You can take my lower bunk tonight if you want, I can sleep in the big room,” Jinyoung suggest.  
“No no, it’s okay… I can take the couch.”  
“And what do you expect manager hyung to say when he comes to pick you up tomorrow morning?”

 

_Oh… that’s right…_

 

Kuanlin almost forget the fact that he is attending a fashion week event tomorrow in Tokyo and will be there for two days.

“You need to calm down and get some sleep tonight so I’ll let you stay here. When you get back though, you’ll talk to Jihoon again,” says Sungwoon, keeping his eyes on Kuanlin who is looking down at his hands. “I’m sure there’s something else from Jihoon’s side.”

 

——————————

 

When Jinyoung walked into their room last night, Jihoon just knew that Kuanlin wouldn’t be sleeping in his own bed.  
When Jihoon woke up today morning with puffy eyes, Jihoon just knew that Kuanlin already left for the airport.

“He’ll come around, I’m sure he wasn’t serious about the whole ‘take a break’ thing,” Minhyun whispers softly as he moves to sit next to the youngster in the back of the van, but Jihoon just stays quiet and hugs tightly onto his backpack.

Minhyun shifts his gaze to the front when he feels like Jisung is watching from the front row passenger seat. He lightly shakes his head, earning a worried frown from their leader.

In the dressing room, Jihoon is sitting in his seat to get his hair and makeup done when he sees two people in the corner of his mirror. Daniel and Seongwu are casually sitting in the couch behind him, each minding his own business on the phone but every once a while Daniel -- with a huge grin on his face -- would lean toward Seongwu to whisper something to the older’s ear. Seongwu would also lean slightly toward Daniel to catch whatever the younger finds so fascinating and is so eager to share, and then he would either say something back or simply move back to his original position with a warm smile on his face. Jihoon doesn’t know how long he’s been looking, but it’s long enough for Seongwu to notice and glance toward Jihoon’s direction. Jihoon hurriedly looks down like a little kid being caught in bad act when his eyes meet Seongwu’s.

“Is there something you want to tell me? I saw you kept looking at me today.”  
“…I’m sorry about yesterday.”

Seongwu makes sure to find time for Jihoon, and he doesn’t expect the first thing he hears from the youngster to be an apology as they sit together on Seongwu’s bed.

“Why are you apologizing to me?” Seongwu softly asks.  
“Because… things finally start to work for you and Daniel hyung and I just feel bad…”

Jihoon is 300% sure that he doesn’t have any feeling for Daniel anymore, but it still feels really awkward to have that old secret out and open in front of Seongwu. It was a brief crush, long gone and not even worth mentioning. Jihoon didn’t want others to know about this and especially not Kuanlin, not in this fashion anyways.

“Just so you know that I’m not upset or anything, and you don’t need to feel bad about it. Things are still the same for Daniel and I, we haven’t ‘worked on’ anything to be honest but we’re fine.”

Smiling, Seongwu reaches out to gently pat on Jihoon’s head. Jihoon then proceed to ask Seongwu has the older ever felt insecure about Daniel because they are not together and why he doesn’t push Daniel for an answer.

And Seongwu says something that Jihoon can’t seem to get out of his head.

“I think he’s still thinking really hard, sometimes he has that look on his face when he thinks no one is watching. When he makes up his mind, it means he has taken everything into account. He will talk to me, and he is not trying to hurt me. Right now I just want to enjoy every single day with him because I won’t have that luxury after Wanna One’s contract is up.”

After everything that has happened between them, Seongwu still has so much trust in Daniel and their bond seems to get stronger and stronger even without an official title. What sadden Jihoon the most is not Kuanlin wanting to take a break from their relationship — it’s the notion that he probably has never shown Kuanlin how important he is, or else Kuanlin probably wouldn’t have reacted so badly because of some random hate comments and a conversation taken out of context.

 

————————

 

Due to weather and technical difficulty, Kuanlin has to stay an extra night in Tokyo after successfully wrapping up his solo schedule. It’s boring to stay at a hotel alone without his Wanna One hyungs, so Kuanlin just lays in bed and stares at the ceiling.

 

_Linlin please… Don’t be like this…”_

 

The image of Jihoon pleading him and wanting to explain is too vivid. Frustrated, Kuanlin shuts his eyes and rolls to the side. The truth is, Kuanlin already regret what he said the previous night but he couldn’t bring himself to send Jihoon a brief text about going to Tokyo or even a simple good morning message on his way to the airport. 

Kuanlin’s phone starts to buzz showing that he’s received new message. Daehwi sends him a cell phone video of their dance practice today — the part where Woojin and Jihoon do a dance break, to be exact. Allowing his eyes to follow Jihoon in the video, Kuanlin finds himself unconsciously biting his bottom lip by the time the video is finished. Jihoon looks great, focus and professional as usual when he’s dancing, but once the music stops it looks like half of the wink boy’s soul isn’t in the room. 

His phone starts to buzz again, this time it's showing another new message from Jisung.

“Kuanlin ah how are you doing? Sorry we’re not able to join you this time. We just heard about the flight delay so please take care of yourself, we look forward to having you back home. Earlier today Jihoonnie asked manager hyung about how you are doing, and he got quiet when manager hyung told him that he was more than welcomed to contact you directly. I understand that whatever you are feeling, it doesn’t feel good. When you are ready, please talk to him okay?”

Letting out a heavy sigh, Kuanlin wants to tell Jisung that he’s not upset anymore — not with Jihoon, at least. He just wish he could have handled himself differently instead of lashing out his own insecurity and throwing it to Jihoon’s face in an accusing manner. 

Kuanlin decides to take a shower, and when he comes back he sees Woojin sending him a picture along with a text "Don't tell Jihoon that I sent you this."  
It’s a photo of Jihoon lying in Kuanlin’s bed, falling in deep sleep and his hands holding onto a jacket Kuanlin carelessly left behind.

The scene tugs on Kuanlin’s heartstrings. Whenever Kuanlin wants to squeeze in the same bed with Jihoon, the older boy often complains there’s no space to stretch legs even though he always let Kuanlin stay and always end up hugging Kuanlin in his sleep. 

While Kuanlin is creating a draft in his head about what to say in his response to Jisung’s text, his phone doesn’t buzz this time but actually ring. And the name showing in caller ID completely catches him off guard.

 

————————-

 

“How’s Tokyo?” 

Trying to sound as casual as possible, Daniel inwardly let out a sigh of relief when Kuanlin answers his call.

“Um… it’s good I guess? But I can’t go out much so it’s kind of boring… Hyung what’s up?”  
“…I’m sorry about what happened.”

Kuanlin can already guess the reason behind Daniel’s sudden call. He lowers his eyes upon hearing his hyung’s apology.

“Hyung you didn’t do anything wrong.”  
“Jihoonnie was only using himself as an example because he was worried about Seongwu hyung and me… I’m sorry that you had to find out about it like that."  
“It’s okay hyung, it’s not anyone’s fault. I just overreacted.”  
“But I’m pretty sure you didn’t hear the last part of our conversation.”


	17. Kuanlin x Jihoon (4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter for PanWink, happy Valentine's Day and happy Lunar New Year :)  
> Next up is OngNiel~

**~~~Flashback~~~**

 

“…You what?! But weren’t you and Kuanlin —”  
“It was before that. Yes, Kuanlin was never shy about showing his affection for me but I was hesitant. I thought I had something for you and I was curious about it, and that’s when I overheard that conversation between you and Jisung hyung. I thought you would tell me or at least do something but… you never did. After a while, Kuanlin confessed and official asked me out, so I said yes.”

Jihoon takes another large sip at his beer. When he looks up, he sees Daniel staring at him with a mischievous smile.

“What?”  
“You’re blushing~ And I know it’s not because of the beer :)”

As much as he doesn’t want to admit, Jihoon can feel his face getting warm. 

It’s true that Jihoon never really saw Wanna One’s giant maknae as a potential love interest, despite the younger boy’s persistent effort. When Kuanlin confessed how he felt about Jihoon and asked Jihoon to be his boyfriend, Jihoon wasn’t sure at all if it’ll be a good idea: They were still young in their career, they were group mates and he still had lingering feeling about someone else.

Kuanlin was patient enough to give him some time to think.

“Hyung it’s okay, just take your time and let me know your decision. I mainly just want to get this off my chest, sorry if it makes you uncomfortable… The last thing I want to happen is hyung becoming distant with me, so whatever your decision may be I will be okay.”

For some reasons, Jihoon looked into Kuanlin’s eyes and just had this feeling: If he can tell me that he likes me this much, then maybe it’s worth a try. 

It didn’t take long for Jihoon to say yes, and it didn’t take long for Jihoon to realize what it’s like to have your heart beating so fast because of one person. It happened one day when Kuanlin was leaning closer and closer like he’s being drawn to Jihoon. When their noses were almost touching, Jihoon’s first instinct was to maintain some distance between himself and Kuanlin because his heart was beating too fast and he was feeling something he had never experienced before. When he had his palm against Kuanlin’s chest, he realized the younger boy’s heart is beating just as fast if not faster.

Kuanlin let out a somewhat awkward smile and pulled himself away from Jihoon, inwardly cursing himself for taking things too fast. A hint of rejection and disappointment flashed across Kuanlin’s eyes for a second, and then it just hit Jihoon: He didn’t like to see that look on Kuanlin’s face.

It was Kuanlin who confessed first, but it was Jihoon who planted his lips on Kuanlin’s for their first kiss.

“Are you happy with him?” Daniel asks, resting his head on one hand and looking at Jihoon with a small smile.  
“Yes, very. It’s hard to name one thing I like the most about him, because he’s just special and I feel the most at ease when I”m with him. I’m so glad that I didn’t waste time on you.”  
“Ouch, that hurts,” Daniel pouted shortly before his grin got bigger. “But I’m glad to hear that.”

 

**~~~End of Flashback~~~**

 

It’s very quiet on the other side of the phone, but Daniel knows that Kuanlin is still on the line and listening.

“Kuanlin ah listen to me… He probably didn’t like you the way you wanted at first, but he still chose you didn't he? Jihoon didn’t need a nation’s number one pick who was too afraid to speak, he needed someone who didn’t keep him guessing.”  
“…I fucked up badly this time, didn’t I?” Kuanlin asks, with a hint of defeat in his voice. 

Kuanlin’s brain was literally screaming ‘I’m such an idiot’ after learning about the full conversation. All he can think of is how badly he must have hurt Jihoon.

“No no no, Jihoon understands why you are upset and he really wants to make it up to you. You can take the first step, because I think he's kind of afraid to step on that boundary now.”  
“I will. Daniel hyung thank you, really…”

 

——————————————

 

Being first one up as usual despite Wanna One having the luxury to sleep in a little late this morning, Minhyun is on his way to the kitchen to make himself a cup of morning coffee when something in the livingroom catches his attention.

Sitting in the livingroom’s empty sofa is a Jigglypuff plushie — not too big and not too small, just a perfect size for hugging.

Minhyun just can’t help smiling and decides that his morning coffee to be a little later. He leaves the livingroom to wake up a certain someone without having to check what’s written on the small card placed on top of Jigglypuff’s feet. 

Everyone knows who resembles Jigglypuff in Wanna One, so the recipient of this plushie is a no brainer — and it’s not difficult to guess who has prepared this gift.

 

—————————————

 

“You two don’t stay up too late.”  
“Good night hyung.”

Smiling, Jisung bids Jihoon and Kuanlin good night after a long day of tense practice, leaving the two alone in the livingroom.

“…I shouldn’t have said those stuffs that day, I’m sorry.” 

Kuanlin is the first one to speak, apologizing for the way he reacted. But Jihoon shakes his head, still hugging the Jigglypuff plushie Kuanlin bought at Narita Airport.

“No, it’s my fault.”  
“Hyung I yelled at you and wanted to break up with you when I only knew less than half of the whole story,” Kuanlin moves over to wrap his arms around Jihoon, resting his chin on Jihoon’s shoulder. “Daniel hyung told me everything… I shouldn’t have reacted like that.”

Jihoon wiggles his way out of Kuanlin’s embrace so he can sit up facing the younger boy straight in the eyes.

“You make me feel safe, you always show how much you care and you’re always so calm and mature… and I guess I’m taking those things for granted. If I had paid more attention, you probably wouldn’t have reacted the way you did.”

Jihoon’s hands are currently placed on Kuanlin’s waist, making it easy for the younger boy to pull him into a tight embrace.

“I will work harder for you, Kuanlinnie. I don’t want you to feel like you’re not good enough, ever.”  
“Hyung you are fine the way you are. I will work harder too, Daniel hyung and other hyungs all have so much I can learn from.”  
“Don’t ever compare yourself to Daniel hyung, don’t read hate comments.”  
“I won’t.”  
“And…,” Jihoon pauses momentarily before softly speaks up again, tightening his grip on Kuanlin’s t-shirt. “Tell me your worries and what upset you, don’t just say that you want to break up… please…”

Biting his bottom lip, Kuanlin runs one hand up and down Jihoon’s back to comfort him while keeping the other firmly on Jihoon’s waist.

“Hyung I promise you I won’t do that again.”

Kuanlin plants a soft peck on Jihoon’s cheek, only to have Jihoon reach up and pull him back to a proper kiss. They continue to kiss for a while until they both need some air, and Kuanlin notices how late it is already.

“It’s late and I haven’t showered yet, hyung you should sleep.”  
“Can I sleep with you tonight?”

Kuanlin can’t help raising an eyebrow upon hearing Jihoon’s suggestion.

“…Even though there probably won’t be much room to stretch legs?”  
“I can manage that.”

 

————————

 

By the time Kuanlin finishes his quick shower, Jihoon has already dozed off in Kuanlin’s bed. Not wanting to wake up his boyfriend who really deserves some quality sleep (like they all do), Kuanlin tries his best to keep his body movement to the minimum as he climbs into his bed.

“…Oh you’re here.”

Jihoon mumbles, lazily turning around to face Kuanlin with his eyes half open.

“Didn’t mean to wake you up, goodnight hyung.”

Kuanlin quietly answers, pulling their bodies closer together. With his head resting against Kuanlin’s chest, Jihoon inwardly sighs in contentment.

Kuanlin’s heartbeat, Kuanlin’s scent, Kuanlin’s warmth.  
It's only been like three days and Jihoon already misses all of these.


	18. Daniel x Seongwu

After wrapping up tonight’s schedule, this would be Wanna One’s last night together in a foreign country as a team. When Seongwu steps out of the bathroom after taking shower, he sees Daniel lying in bed with his eyes closed.

Daniel officially asked him out about two months ago, and everyone was relieved that these two were finally together for real. Seongwu, however, still had a lot of doubts and “what if”: What if things don’t work out, causing them to drift apart or end with bad blood? What if one day Daniel needs to choose between his career and relationship? What if…

But he knows it’s not fair to push those questions onto Daniel right now, because neither of them knows what the future holds. So in the meantime, he will just cherish every moment with Daniel and hopefully they can face everything together.

Back to the hotel room, Seongwu is afraid that Daniel may catch a cold but there’s no way he can drag out the quilt from beneath Daniel without waking up the younger boy. So he sits down on the bed and study Daniel’s peaceful sleeping face. Seongwu leans down to plant a gentle kiss on Daniel’s forehead, and then on Daniel’s nose, and then stops at Daniel’s slightly parted lips.

“Do you really have to be this sneaky?”

Daniel looks up to Seongwu, smiling and moving his hand to Seongwu’s lower back. 

“I just didn’t want to wake you up that’s all, but seems like I still —”

All of a sudden Seongwu’s vision is flipped upside down, and within two seconds he finds himself trapped between Daniel and the soft mattress. Giggling, Seongwu smiles brightly at the boy hovering above him with his eyes full of love. In Daniel’s eyes, Seongwu always looks perfect but the older boy looks the best without those excessive stage makeup where his exquisite facial features and charm just come off naturally. Daniel lowers his body to wrap Seongwu’s slender form in his arms, nuzzling against the area between Seongwu’s neck and shoulder.

“You smell so good…”  
“Mmm hmm because I just took a shower and it’s now your turn.”

Despite Seongwu patting on Daniel’s back motioning the younger to get up, Daniel just tightened his hug on Seongwu.

“Daniel? You alright?”  
“…Can I… hold you?”  
“Aren’t you holding me right now?”  
“No I mean… the other kind of ‘holding’… Even though we have our own room in the dorm, I don’t think it’s a good idea… and this is probably the last time we can stay at a hotel.”

Seongwu can feel his face getting warmer when he finally understands what Daniel is talking about. He quietly watches as Daniel slowly pushes himself up, a bit flustered and his eyes searching for approval from the older boy. Seongwu looks down when he feels Daniel’s hand gently grabbing his. 

“…I know what happened last time wasn’t pleasant, as well as all our previous encounters… so I really want to do it right.”

 

————————

 

Daniel casually ties the towel around his waist after stepping out of a steamy shower. Leaning against the sink, Daniel can’t help wondering why is he so nervous like a 14-year-old when he and Seongwu already had sex so many times.

Maybe because this time, it’s too real.

Before joining Produce 101, Daniel had never thought that one day he would be attracted to a guy — although Jihoon does sort of fit Daniel’s so-called ideal type (petite, cute person with small hands). Seongwu is like the complete opposite, but no one from all of Daniel’s past relationships and crushes has touched Daniel’s heart like Seongwu.

More than “friend” for sure, even more than simple “boyfriend” but “soulmate” sometimes sound too cheesy and overly used. What Seongwu means to him is beyond genders and all other standards the society likes to enforce, and Daniel wants to protect it and cherish it in his own way. That’s why two months into their newly blossomed relationship, Daniel has been mostly careful with initiating intimacy beyond kissing and passionate cuddling.

Taking a deep breath, Daniel quickly puts on the T-shirt and sweatpants he wears to sleep. When he returns to the room though, he notices Seongwu is different. The older boy has changed into the white hotel bathrobe, and the long-sleeve shirt and sweatpants he used to wear are neatly folded and placed on another bed. Daniel walks over to Seongwu who is currently drinking a can of beer he found in the refrigerator, his hand tugging on Seongwu’s arm.

“Hyung why are you wearing this?”  
“…”

Seongwu doesn’t say a word but the blush on his ears give away. Daniel smiles, hugging Seongwu from behind and taking away the beer can.

 

—————————-

 

Seongwu can’t really pinpoint why is he nervous about this when they already did something similar many times at places more inappropriate than a hotel room. Maybe because things are different now — and he is experiencing the stuffs Daniel has never done with him before.

Daniel’s tongue is still dancing with his and exploring every inch of his mouth, when he feels Daniel loosening his bathrobe and pushing it off his shoulders. Giving Daniel more access, Seongwu turns his head to the side when he feels Daniel’s tongue running from his collarbone, across his jawline and all the way to his earlobe. Daniel can’t help but smiling in silence when Seongwu keeps his eyes and lips tightly shut, obviously trying hard not to moan. Daniel knows very well that the older boy just doesn’t want to give in -- although he enjoys everything that's happening.

It feels good when Daniel’s hands roam all over his body, touching him like he’s the most precious in the world and teases him here and there by showering him with butterfly kisses and suggestive licks.

It feels really good that it’s almost embarrassing, Seongwu thinks to himself.

 

————————————-

 

“Haa….haa…”

With both of his knees on the bed, his hips pushing upward and his face close to the bed, Seongwu gasps when he feels the heat coming from behind — it’s Daniel’s chest on top of his bare back. When Daniel’s hands finally stop caressing Seongwu’s body, they are now playing with Seongwu’s already hardened nipples. Seongwu begins to feel more hazy when Daniel begins kissing his lower spine, running his tongue in circular motion and gradually moving up.

The bed sheets and quilts are a mess by now. Besides Daniel’s hands holding his waist, Seongwu has to grab onto whatever he can to somehow keep his body steady. It’s been a long time since Seongwu’s previous sex with Daniel, and his body just can’t withstand the overpowering waves of arousal and pleasure that continue to build up.

Seongwu softly whimpers when he feels Daniel slowly entering his body, as slowly and gently as possible.

“Hyung are you alright?”  
“Yeah… just keep going…”

Daniel’s hands move to massage Seongwu’s waist, trying to ease the older boy’s body as he penetrates with lots of love and tenderness. When he finally enters fully into Seongwu’s body, Daniel begins to thrust into Seongwu — sometimes slow, sometimes fast. 

Seongwu has a slender body and overall smaller frame than other men of his age, but with a very nicely rounded shape around his hips. It drives Daniel crazy to see Seongwu’s flawless back covering in sweat and his hips swaying. When Seongwu finally lets out a gaspy cry of pleasure, Daniel knows there’s no point of return.

After reaching the climax together, Seongwu drops himself to the bed as Daniel slowly pulls out of Seongwu. Still panting, Daniel reaches out to flip Seongwu around facing upward because he wants to make sure the older boy is okay.

“…Nielie…”

Also panting, Seongwu’s voice is a mixture of breathy whine when he speaks, his moisture eyes half opened.

 

_Did Seongwu has this shade of pink blush on his body before?_  
_Did Seongwu ever call out his nickname with this sweet voice?_  
_Was…Seongwu this cute?_

 

Daniel can’t really remember, and he’s not very sure either. But one thing for sure: He sure was an idiot who wasted too much time before.  
So the original idea of giving his lover some time to rest just goes straight out of the window.

“Not enough, let’s do it one more…”

Lifting up Seongwu’s chin, Daniel’s tongue easily enters Seongwu’s mouth that’s already opened. Like a loving and hungry predator, Daniel lowers his face to capture Seongwu’s left nipple again with his mouth, sending another shock wave of jolts and shivers through Seongwu’s body that’s still very sensitive and aroused from their last round of love making.

“No wait!… I haven’t… Niel..!!”

Despite his effort of holding onto that last string of conscious before he makes Seongwu really falling apart in his hands, Daniel’s body is burning with passion and lust so much that he’s going to explode if he doesn’t let it out.

“Because hyung you are too cute… Can’t blame me for not wanting to wait.”  
“…You…aah!… You are seriously… horny and demanding…”  
“You know what’s amazing? I held you so many times before but… today it feels like the first time ever.”

Seongwu is speechless for a second before running his hands across Daniel’s shoulder blade and wrapping around Daniel’s neck. Seongwu’s fingers find their way up and tangle in Daniel’s hair, 

“Me too, Niel ah… Me too.”

 

————————-

 

The boys are craving for friend chicken at late night after a long day of practice, so Minhyun and Jinyoung go with their manager to buy it. 

“Where’s Seongwu hyung?” 

Jihoon asks while everyone gather around to settle food and drink on the table.

“He’s in the room,” Daniel answers, already holding a chicken drumstick in his hand.

Wanna One has been working very hard for their farewell concert. Jisung immediately looks worried when Seongwu doesn’t even bother to show up for fried chicken, someone falling sick is the last thing they need right now.

“Is he not feeling well?”  
“No no, he just wants to sleep a little.”

Their livingroom turns into the most noisy place on earth in no time, lots of jokes and laughters are thrown back and forth in the livingroom as everyone enjoys late night meal together. Daehwi decides to momentarily excuse himself from his choding hyungs and check on Seongwu. He lightly knocks on the door before opening, the room is mostly dark and the only source of light is the small lamp next to Seongwu and Daniel’s bed — “bed” the singular because they decided to put the two originally separated beds into one big bed.

 

\----------------

 

Daniel and Seongwu were cuddling in their room after coming back from practice, and of course cuddling led to something a little bit more. As much as Seongwu wanted to keep Daniel longer, he laughed and told Daniel to get out when Daniel's stomach started to make sound. 

Seongwu quietly lays still in bed until he hears someone entering the room.

“Daehwi?”  
“Hyung are you feeling sick? We’re all eating but Daniel hyung said you want to sleep so I’m just wondering…”  
“Oh I’m fine, I just want to stay in bed for a while. I can tell you guys are enjoying the festivity,” Seongwu answers, smiling at his younger dongseang’s concern. “Thanks for coming to check up on me.”  
“Okay if you say so. But hyung please do let us know if you’re not feeling well okay? Jisung hyung is already worried, I can so tell.”

Daehwi is about to get up and leave when Seongwu softly calls him again.

“Daehwi ah, come lay down with me.”  
“Huh? Why?”  
“Because we haven’t really talked in a while and I want to talk to my dongsaeng before the concert preparation drains out all of our time and energy, come in.”

For a moment Daehwi just stares at Seongwu, throwing open the blanket and patting the empty space next to him.

It’s perfectly fine for Daehwi to lay in bed with Seongwu, because he’s the resident cute and “real” maknae of Wanna One. Daniel is not going to be mad at him —- probably in a joking and teasing way but it will never be anything serious.

The real problem here is Seongwu looks quite different from the everyday Seongwu they're familiar with, like there’s some kind of aura surrounding him as if —

And then something clicks in Daehwi’s head

 

_O-K-A-Y I GET IT_

 

Daehwi now thinks he has a pretty good idea why Seongwu wants to stay in bed for a while, why Seongwu wants to lay down with him — all have something to do with whatever happened in this room earlier. 

 

_Seongwu hyung is so naive… What if today it’s someone else…?_

 

“Daehwi? What are you staring at?”

Smiling, Daehwi reaches out to pull Seongwu’s blanket higher to cover his shoulder — even though the older boy seems to be fully dressed.

“I’ll go get Daniel hyung.”

So Daehwi returns to the extremely noisy livingroom, and there is Daniel laughing his heart out again over something stupid. Daehwi walks over to tap on Daniel’s shoulder, whispering ‘I think Seongwu hyung needs you' to his ear. Daniel’s facial expression changes in one second, his smile is gone and replaced with something that looks as if Seongwu has just gotten into an accident. Quickly puts down his beer and wipes his mouth and hands, Daniel gets up from the sofa and runs straight to his shared room with Seongwu.

Daehwi sits back down next to Jaehwan, who’s still chewing on the piece of chicken breast he’s holding.

“What happened?”  
“Nothing, just Daniel hyung digging his own grave.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Already three of you have commented about not understanding the last part of my story so here it goes —-
> 
> Daehwi realized that Daniel and Seongwu must have been making out in the room earlier because Seongwu wants to cuddle with/be physically close to someone (because his body misses Daniel)
> 
> Daehwi told Jaehwan that Daniel was digging his own grave because Seongwu looks so adorable and seductive after a makeout session but also too naive to protect himself from other men.
> 
> My English has gone so bad that I can’t get my ideas across... sigh


	19. Woojin x Hyungseob

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Woojin and Hyungseob meet again, and Daniel is nervous about Seongwu's family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll probably conclude the story with one more chapter after this :)

“Minki hyung, I… I still don’t think this is a good idea.”

In the private parking lot of Gocheok Sky Dome, Minki stares at the younger boy who’s grabbing his arm.

“Ahn Hyungseob, we had to take a detour from our company to pick you up and now you’re saying you shouldn’t have come?”  
“But…”  
“We already talked about this.”

Junghyun walks over to the two when he notices Minki and Hyungseob are not walking with him.

“What’s going on?”  
“This kid is chickening out.”  
“I’m not!” Hyungseob protests. “Supposedly only very few tickets are reserved for Wanna One members’ original labels, what would people say if they see me?”

With his signature smile, Jonghyun just puts his arm around Hyungseob and naturally drags the boy along with him.

“Minhyun wouldn’t have asked us to pick you up if it’s not okay, don’t worry.”

 

_But I haven’t contacted him at all since that day…_  
_…What would he react when he sees me?_

 

—————————

 

Today is the last day of Wanna One’s two-day farewell concert. Other than Wanna One members’ colleagues from original labels — such as Nu’est W, MXM and HOTSHOT — of course Wanna One members’ families are also invited. Although today he’s supposed to feel emotional about Wanna One coming to an end, Daniel can’t help anxiously glancing at the door.

Because Seongwu’s family has yet to visit.

Daniel opened up to his mom about his current relationship with Seongwu during his last trip back home. Being the coolest mom of nation’s #1 pick, Mrs. Kang is pleased with Daniel’s honesty and trust in her. Not to say that she’s not surprised — she’s shocked, in fact — but she raised Daniel to be someone who takes responsibility in his decision. She made Daniel promise that he’ll work harder than ever because now he has someone to protect, and she asked Daniel to bring Seongwu to visit Busan somedays.

On the other hand, Seongwu hasn’t talked much to Daniel about his own family’s reaction besides something that goes along with “don’t worry about it.” It bothers Daniel, even though Seongwu understands his own family better. Daniel is a single child with extremely strong bonding and friendship with his mom who always allow Daniel to make his own judgment, while Seongwu is the baby in his family. Daniel knows how much his mom adores Seongwu — both before and after they become a couple — but he’s really not sure if Seongwu’s family feels the same about him — not as Seongwu’s friend but at Seongwu’s boyfriend.

The last thing Daniel wants is Seongwu’s family hating him for it and Seongwu has to choose between his family and Daniel.

When Daniel is still deep in his thought, the door is opened and Seongwu walks in with his older sister. Daniel hears them talking and other members greeting Seongwu’s sister, but he’s not sure how to react — he can’t just go up and brightly greets Seongwu’s sister as usual, because things are supposedly different now. 

 

_And… where are Seongwu’s parents? Did they not come or… did they not want to come?_

 

Daniel finally looks toward the Ong sibling when his eyes coincidentally meets with Seongwu’s older sister, and his body reacts before his brain.

When he suddenly stands up, Daniel accidentally kicks a stool and knocks over a cup of juice in the process. The juice happens to spill over Daehwi’s pants, sending the dressing room into chaos with screaming from Daehwi and every single one of Wanna One’s cody staff.

“DANIEL!!!!”  
“HYUNG!!!!!!!!!!!!!”  
“OH MY GOD OH MY GOD I’M SO SORRY!!!!!!!!!! *tears*”

It’s probably the first time ever that Wanna One’s cody noonas want to give Daniel a punch in the face. Jisung pushes Daehwi to the bathroom to clean up while the entire staff makes urgent request for new pants or even the entire outfit. 

“Um, I think I should go back to the audience and you should go check on him,” says Seongwu’s older sister. “…I don’t look scary today, do I?” 

Seongwu can’t help smiling at his sister.

“Don’t worry, I’ll talk to him.”  
“I’ll see you after the show, good luck and have fun.”  
“Thanks.”

After sending off his older sister, Seongwu walks toward Daniel, leaning his body close to Daniel and putting his hand gently behind Daniel’s back.

“You alright?”  
“Sorry hyung, I’m just… nervous.”  
“My sister doesn’t bite.”  
“But I don’t know how they feel about me, I don’t know how to react because you never tell me… How come your parents didn’t come?”

Seongwu stares at Daniel, who looks like a defeated giant puppy.

“My parents didn’t come because they felt like it might give you too much pressure, so they wanted you to focus on the concert. My sister just wanted to say hi and take photos with the guys so she can brag about it to her friends.”

Moving his hand away from Daniel's back, Seongwu reaches to squeeze the younger boy's hand.

“My sister is cool with it and my parents are still processing the whole thing. I didn’t want to talk to you too much about it before because it might give you the wrong idea, but my parents don’t have any ill feeling for you — far from that, really.”

Seongwu can’t help grinning and poking at Daniel’s cheek when he sees the younger boy’s facial expression soften and his body isn’t tensed anymore.

“I didn’t know you can overthink this much.”  
“Only when it comes to you, hyung.”  
“Cheesy, but I like it.”

 

—————————

 

Woojin’s eyes widen when he sees an all too familiar figure showing up at their dressing room with Jonghyun and Minki.

 

_Hyungseobbie…_

 

Not knowing what to say, Woojin quietly watches from the other side of the room as Hyungseob talks and shares hugs with other Wanna One members and friends from Produce 101.

“Are you not going to talk to him?”

Woojin swiftly turns to look at Donghyun, who’s sitting together with Yungmin.

“Who?”  
“Oh my god... did you actually think that we didn't have a clue? Donghyunnie and I have known you longer than anyone else here.”  
“……”

Also noticing Woojin’s hesitation is Sungwoon, who quickly walks over and grabs Woojin’s arm, pulling the younger boy close.

“You know, Daniel spent a lot — I mean A LOT — of effort in reserving a ticket for Hyungseob,” Sungwoon says in a hushed tone. “Don’t let it go wasted.”

With that, Sungwoon gives the younger boy a push without waiting for a response.

 

—————————

 

“Hi Woojinnie…”  
“…Hey.”

Woojin silently curses himself that after 1 year and a half, Hyungseob still beats him to it. Beside growing a little bit of height and looking a bit shy because they haven’t talked in so long, the Yuehuwa trainee hasn’t changed much —- and still very cute.

“You’ve worked really hard, congratulations.”  
“Um… thank you.”

Woojin curses himself again for the only lame response he can come up with.

Meanwhile, Hyungseob is still smiling despite Woojin’s dry answer.

 

_…Maybe he doesn’t really want to see me…_  
_…It’s understandable… I was the one who cut it off…_

 

“Oh, I need to return something to you,” Hyungseob says, reaching into his bag.

In disbelieve, Woojin stares at the bracelet Hyungseob is holding in his hand and quickly takes it.

“Where did you find it??? I thought I dropped it somewhere in the Produce dorm, or the practice room or on the stage.”

It’s a bracelet Woojin used to wear often during his days as a Produce 101 trainee, but he couldn’t find it anywhere after he was chosen as top 11.

“It’s because I stole it.”  
“…You what?”  
“I took it the night before the live broadcast when we — Anyways, I wasn’t sure if would I see you again so I wanted to keep something as a keepsake, and you didn’t notice the next day because you were too nervous and focus. But it's still weird to call something I stole as a keepsake, so I’m giving it back to you. Sorry for keeping it for 1 year and a half without telling you.”

From the corner of his eyes, Hyungseob sees other hyungs have started to wrap up and say good luck to other Wanna One members -- knowing it’s about time for him to leave as well.

 

_…It’s okay…_  
_…At least I’m able to give it back to him…_

 

“I think I should get going, good luck with the show.”

Hyungseob is about to turn around when Woojin pulls him back with one hand.

“…Woojinnie?”

The Yuehua trainee is still searching for hints from Woojin’s eyes when he feels Woojin putting something in his hand -- the bracelet.

“Give it back to me the next time you see me.”  
“…What?”  
“Last time I did what you told me, so this time you do what I tell you.”

 

_…After this is all over…if I don’t make it tomorrow…let’s end this._

 

“After this is all done, let’s start over. No more cutting off contact, so you better pick up my call when I want my bracelet back.”

Dumbfounded, this is the last thing he expects to hear from Woojin today. It feels like Woojin has taken something out of his body system and replaced it with something different. It feels like their Produce 101 days are playing again in front of his eyes, all the memories they shared, the day he realized Woojin was more than a friend, the night he decided to let Woojin go, and all the months afterward where he kept telling himself that it’s for the best...

The emotional rollercoaster is just too much to bear.

“Ya, Park Woojin why are you making Hyungseobbie cry?”

Of course their fellow 99line friend Jihoon is the first one to start, before others join the party of teasing Woojin.

“Woojin what did you do?”  
“Aigoo~~~ Seobbie tell hyung what’s wrong?”  
“Woojin is a Busan man after all.” "Hey what is that supposed to mean?"

Hyungseob hurriedly wipes away his tears with one hand — because his other hand is still held by Woojin.

“No no, Woojinnie didn’t do anything… I’m sorry.”  
“Of course we know he didn’t do anything bad,” Taehyun walks over and carefully motioning Hyungseob to get going. “We really need to return to the audience though.”

Nodding, Hyungseob follows Taehyun to the door. He turns around before exiting through the door and waves to Woojin, mouthing ‘good luck, see you’ with his eyes still teary. 

The dressing room finally returns to its normal level of loudness after sending off a group of boys.

“That was quite a ment,” says Jaehwan. “Can I use it as lyrics?”  
“Only if you write that song for my debut album under Brand New Music.”

 

Last time, you thought you did something for me even though it made you suffer.  
This time, let’s do something for us together.


	20. STATUS UPDATE

I've decided to end "No Strings Attached" here. Any new story ideas will be written in separate works.  
Thank you all for reading my work :) OngNiel is Science~~~


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